Review of Jules and Jim (1962) by Fernando C — 02 May 2008

A masterpiece! There aren't many films out there that are so delightful and lively, so vibrant and exciting. The plot is interesting and well told, with grat actors to match these characters. And on the technical side, the use of so many different elements, like freeze frames,make "Jules and Jim" unique and memmorable. The only thing I did not like was the weird narration, but the rest is simply perfect!

"Jules and Jim" is a hymn to love and friendship, poetic, inspirational and freely made, conveying the energy and passion for life its characters share. It's about many things, actually, more than I could list and analyze in this tiny space. For instance, it reflects the social anxiety of the 60's, showing us the sexual revolution and its actual consequences. Instead of defending free love, as it romantically seems to do, it shows the negative consequences of indecision and romanticism. The two friends idealize the woman so much that can't tell when she's becoming dangerous to any of both, or when she's a danger to herself. And she resists to fit into their vision of her, rebelling against everything, including herself sometimes. She is a rich and multi-layered character, larger than this film perhaps. Well I could go on discussing "Jules and Jim"'s many themes, symbols and richness, but I would go on for too long. I highly recommend it to anyone, not just art cinema lovers.