MUBI

Nine years after the devastating non-committal freeze frame that ended “The 400 Blows”, Francois Truffaut returns to his young protagonist, Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Leaud), for this romantic slapstick comedy about the craziness of love and life in your early ’20’s. With only a slight backdrop of the political unrest in France in 1968 running a current through the film, Truffaut’s Doinel is a military drop-out, dishonorably discharged from the Army and released to a future of petty jobs (hotel clerk, private investigator, shoe boy, TV repairman) and awkward romantic yearnings, in effect, the same boy we saw stealing a typewriter in 1959, only older, and more curious. And it’s obvious that Truffaut feels for the character (and Leaud, who is used much differently here than in Godard’s “Masculin Feminin” two years earlier, but that’s more about the differences in the directors at this point in their careers than anything) a certain kinship, guiding the boy through humiliation and sexual experimentation with a tender gaze that only hints at the New Wave’s penchant for ironic realism.

The first full length sequel to “The 400 Blows” is bound to suffer by comparison to the masterwork preceding it. “The 400 Blows” is one of cinema’s greatest achievements, an indictment of child abuse and neglect that’s hard to shake. It’s follow-up, “Stolen Kisses”, is a breezy, unfocused farce that at times seems hastily assembled. Reviewing the film I am reminded of the danger of undertaking a task of reviewing The Great Films. My dislike of them, or failure to “get” them, is more likely to reveal my ignorance than the film’s flaws. I fear that I will be exposed as a Philistine. But here goes.

“Stolen Kisses” is not a bad film. But it is not a great one. Jean Pierre Leaud returns as the romantic Antoine Doinel and it is a testament to his charisma and charm that we continue to watch the series with interest despite its decline in quality. Doinel is still running everywhere, unlucky in love, bad at life, and still dreaming big. As noted before, the fact that Doinel emerged from “The 400 Blows” a relatively happy person is both a relief and—possibly this reveals a cruel streak in this author—a disappointment. “Blows” closing note of doom and sadness is bleak, but perfect and we can’t but help feel that the film’s coda is undermined by a sequel.

While “Blows” was wistful, “Kisses” is comic. It features the wacky misadventures of Antoine Doinel and more than a little mugging by Jean Pierre Leaud. We get to see him fail miserably as a private detective, hotel porter, and television repairman. These scenes of professional failure are often played broadly and Truffaut’s direction seems at times rushed and uneven. The film’s heart lies in Leaud’s relationship with Christine Darbon (Claude Jade). As with Collete in the previous installment, Antoine is doted on by Christine’s parents. Through them, he finds a semblance of the parental bonds he never had.

Christine and Antoine’s relationship gives the film heart. It is pensive and sweet: the anxious Antoine attacking the demure Christine all while trying to figure out romance. While trying to snag Christine, Antoine will also find himself involved in an affair with a married woman who also offers him a lesson in romance and the fairer sex. This is the coming of age chapter of the Doinel cycle and it never quite coalesces into a pleasing whole. It’s choppy and disappointing in light of its predecessor. Yet the performances by Leaud and Jade recommend the film and those who grew attached to Antoine in “Blows” will desire to follow his story further.