Whimsical but unedifying picaresque comedy-drama, Stolen Kisses sees French auteur François Truffaut pay homage to film noir detective drama.
Something of a drifter, Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud) – lead character from the earlier The 400 Blows – returns to Paris having been discharged from the army as unfit for duty. Reconnecting with on/off girlfriend Christine (Delphine Seyrig), Doinel finds himself circuitously employed as a private detective. Though incompetent, he somehow bumbles his way through – including an affair with a wealthy client’s wife – before being fired and finding himself as a TV repairman.
Romantic yet slapstick silly, Truffaut’s much loved feature is seen as an insightful meditation on love as Doinel attempts to understand his relationships with women. Simultaneously playful and complex, it’s all somewhat superficial and unengaging.
Nominated for 1969 Best Foreign Language Film Oscar.
Rating: 54%
Director: François Truffaut (The 400 Blows, Day For Night)
Writer: François Truffaut (The 400 Blows, Day For Night), Claude de Givray (Me faire ça à moi, L’amour à la chaîne), Bernard Revon (La guerilla, L’amour à la chaîne) – loosely based on the novel by Honoré de Balzac
Main cast: Jean-Pierre Léaud (The 400 Blows, Irma Vep), Delphine Seyrig (The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie, The Day of the Jackal), Claude Jade (Love on the Run, Topaz)
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