Review of Jules and Jim (1962) by Robert B — 02 Oct 2015

Jules and Jim has all you expect from a French film of the early 60s: charm, playfulness, pensiveness, melancholy, and verve. This all becomes manifest through characters involved in a very different kind of love triangle.

The film is very romantic in the full sense of the word: life is an experience! The direction and story portray a world very open and changing, happening and dangerous. You get a feeling of movement as the action goes back-and-forth between Austria and France, the moods of the lovers are up and down, and the tension builds up to the memorable climax of the film.

The performances were good, especially for Jules and Catherine, but to enjoy this film, and find it to live up to the acclaim it has got as "the ultimate love triangle", one must have an active empathy and be a bit sentimental.

The characters do crazy things and one has to be able to at identify with their emotions for the film to work, even if one does not like the things they do. It also helps if one is able to find excitement in the pages of a book; this is really a film that one must "read" to be able to get much out of it (and there is much to be got).