François Truffaut's "Jules and Jim" (1962) has long been one of my favorite movies, and now I'm thrilled to own The Criterion Collection two-disc DVD set containing this great French-language film.
Back in April, 2002, Fox Lorber released a single-disc DVD version of "Jules and Jim," and you can find my review of that elsewhere on this site. However, the Criterion Collection version is far superior.
For those not familiar with "Jules and Jim," it opens in Paris not long before World War I, has a post-war part of the story set at a rustic chalet near the Rhine, and ends in the countryside near Paris in 1933. The title characters are best friends portrayed by Oskar Werner and Henri Serre, respectively. In love with both men is the enigmatic Catherine, played by Jeanne Moreau in one of the most memorable performances in all of cinema.
The Criterion Collection DVD provides two audio commentary tracks. One is in English and was recorded in 1992 by Truffaut's longtime collaborator Suzanne Schiffman, co-writer Jean Gruault, editor Claudine Bouché, and scholar Annette Insdorf. The other commentary track, which was recorded in 2000, is in French and features Jeanne Moreau in conversation with Truffaut biographer Serge Toubiana.
Optional English subtitles are provided for the French-language commentary track, and indeed, English subtitles are available for all the non-English-language bonus materials on the DVDs.
The movie "Jules and Jim" is based on the autobiographical 1953 novel of the same name written by Henri-Pierre Roché, and there are DVD bonus materials dealing with the novelist. One of these is a seven-minute interview with Truffaut excerpted from the French TV program "Bibliothèque de poche" that originally aired in 1966. The other is the 1985 documentary "The Key to Jules and Jim," which consists of five excerpts totaling 31 minutes about the real-life people who inspired the novel—Franz Hessel, Roché, and Helen Hessel. This documentary is mostly in German, although some of it is in French.
In addition to the Truffaut interview about Roché mentioned above, the DVD contains five other bonus materials focusing on the director. The first is a nine-minute video interview that originally aired on the French program "Cinéastes de notre temps" in 1965. The second is a 32-minute video interview that originally aired on the French program "L'Invité du dimanche" in 1969 and also features Jeanne Moreau and Jean Renoir. The third is Truffaut's first appearance on American TV, a nine-minute French-language interview with New York Film Festival director Richard Roud that aired on a local program called "Camera Three" in 1977. The fourth is a 29-minute Q&A session at the American Film Institute's "Dialogue on Film" in 1979, where the questions are in English and Annette Insdorf immediately translates Truffaut's French-language responses into English. And the fifth is a 28-minute interview by Claude-Jean Philippe for the French radio series "Le Cinéma des cinéastes."
Additional bonus materials provided on the DVDs include: (1) a 19-minute 2003 French-language video interview with cinematographer Raoul Coutard; (2) a 21-minute 1986 French-language video interview with co-writer Jean Gruault; and (3) a 23-minute 2004 English-language discussion by film scholars Robert Stam and Dudley Andrew.
On the DVDs there's also a stills gallery containing screenplay notes, script pages, and some of Truffaut's personal correspondence. And packaged with the DVD set, there's a 44-page booklet that has an essay by film scholar John Powers, reprints of Truffaut's writings, and a Pauline Kael review.
Below I've listed all the special features of the "Jules and Jim" Criterion Collection DVD set.
DVD Details:
Release Date: May 31, 2005
Number of Discs: 2
Feature Run Time: 1 Hour 45 Minutes
MPAA Rating: Not Rated
Anamorphic Widescreen (2.35:1), Black-and-White
French Monaural
English Subtitles
Audio Commentary by Truffaut Colleagues and Film Scholar
Audio Commentary by Jeanne Moreau and Truffaut Biographer
Truffaut on Roché: Excerpt From "Bibliothèque de poche"
Excerpts From Documentary "The Key to Jules and Jim"
Excerpt From "Cinéastes de notre temps"
Segment From "L'Invité du dimanche"
Excerpts From Truffaut's First Appearance on American TV
Excerpts From AFI Dialogue on Film Given by Truffaut
Archival Audio Interview of Truffaut
Video Interview With Director of Photography Raoul Coutard
Video Interview With Co-Writer Jean Gruault
Video Conversation Between Two Scholars
Stills Gallery
Theatrical Trailer
44-Page Booklet
