Antoine et Colette [1962]

Fresh from smash critical successes of The 400 Blows, Shoot the Piano Player and Jules et Jim, Truffaut was contemplating what to do next when he, along with  Shintarô Ishihara, Marcel Ophüls, Renzo Rossellini and Andrzej Wajda, was approached to be part of the anthology film Love at Twenty. And voila, he decided to renew his association with his alter-ego Antoine Doinel and muse Jean-Pierre Léaud for the sparkling, semi-autobiographical short Antoine et Colette. Working at a Phillips record manufacturing unit in sync with his love for music and leading a solitary life in Paris, 17-year old Antoine spends his evenings attending music performances and seminars with his childhood friend René (Patrick Auffay). One day, while attending a Berlioz concert, his attention is drawn to Colette (Marie-France Pisier), a beautiful high school student, and falls in love with her. However, despite his valiant attempts at impressing her by taking her to music conferences and even moving to a hotel facing her apartment, all he ends up doing is befriending her parents (François Darbon and Rosy Varte), as Colette doesn’t get romantically attracted to him despite their growing friendship. Based straight out of his life – 17-year old Truffaut, while attending a screening at Cinémathèque Française, had met and fallen head over heels for a dazzling girl named Liliane Litvin, and had unsuccessfully pursued her with a lot fervour along with her fellow suitors Godard and Jean Gruault – the short was a delectable watch courtesy its disarmingly simple premise, freewheeling sensibilities, and deft mix of amusing and reflective moments, and set the thematic tone of romantic complications for the rest of Antoine Doinel series.

Director: Francois Truffaut
Genre: Drama/Romantic Drama/Urban Drama/Film a Clef
Language: French
Country: France