After a stint in the army, Antoine Doinel is released from active duty because of insubordination and ineptitude. The releasing officer does not have kind words for the soon to be civilian young man. As he comes out from the place, he does not take long to find his way to have sex with a prostitute and to reclaim his humble abode in a run down apartment.
Antoine is lucky in getting a position at a hotel thanks to the parents of Christine, his on and off girlfriend. It is obvious Antoine is not fit for the position as he bungles a situation where a cheating wife is surprised with her lover in a room where the reception clerk is duped by the older P.I. behind the case. The older detective feels bad for having caused Antoine's the loss of his job and recommends him to apply for a job with his agency.
The detective agency proves to be no different from Antoine's previous experiences. His best success in a case is when his superior asks him to infiltrate the shoe store owned by M. Tabard, who feels his employees simply hate him and wants to find out what is he doing wrong. No one is happier to meet Antoine than Fabienne Tabard, the stylish wife of the owner; she sees in Antoine a man she can seduce and who will appreciate her charms.
"Stolen Kisses" is a continuation on Francois Truffaut's take on the character that first was examined in his "400 Blows". It is a picaresque comedy because the way Antoine sees the world around him, a society where he does not fit snugly. Mr. Truffaut made a few films around his Antoine Doinel and this one, even 44 years after it was released, still is enjoyable to watch. It is light in tone as the inept young hero of the story goes from one occupation to the next without not knowing where his future will take him. His girlfriend Christine Darbon, is an afterthought in the narrative, although by the end Antoine gets serious about getting more involved, and in a way, settled with the lovely young lady.
It would have been inconceivable to think anyone else but Jean-Pierre Leaud, the original Antoine of a few years before, not playing him again. Mr. Leaud had a good working with Mr. Truffaut as they collaborated on different projects together. Best thing in the film is the elegant Delphine Seyrig, playing Fabienne Tabbard, a sophisticated seductress that captures Antoine's vivid imagination. Claude Jade appears as the sweet Christine, the woman Antoine desires. Michael Lonsdale is also perfect as M. Tabard, the shoe store owner.
"Stolen Kisses" remains among Francois Truffaut most best comedies, which seen today, evokes a bygone era and the atmosphere of a bygone period in Paris, which was lovingly photographed by Denys Clerval, with a musical score by Antoine Duhanel.
Antoine is lucky in getting a position at a hotel thanks to the parents of Christine, his on and off girlfriend. It is obvious Antoine is not fit for the position as he bungles a situation where a cheating wife is surprised with her lover in a room where the reception clerk is duped by the older P.I. behind the case. The older detective feels bad for having caused Antoine's the loss of his job and recommends him to apply for a job with his agency.
The detective agency proves to be no different from Antoine's previous experiences. His best success in a case is when his superior asks him to infiltrate the shoe store owned by M. Tabard, who feels his employees simply hate him and wants to find out what is he doing wrong. No one is happier to meet Antoine than Fabienne Tabard, the stylish wife of the owner; she sees in Antoine a man she can seduce and who will appreciate her charms.
"Stolen Kisses" is a continuation on Francois Truffaut's take on the character that first was examined in his "400 Blows". It is a picaresque comedy because the way Antoine sees the world around him, a society where he does not fit snugly. Mr. Truffaut made a few films around his Antoine Doinel and this one, even 44 years after it was released, still is enjoyable to watch. It is light in tone as the inept young hero of the story goes from one occupation to the next without not knowing where his future will take him. His girlfriend Christine Darbon, is an afterthought in the narrative, although by the end Antoine gets serious about getting more involved, and in a way, settled with the lovely young lady.
It would have been inconceivable to think anyone else but Jean-Pierre Leaud, the original Antoine of a few years before, not playing him again. Mr. Leaud had a good working with Mr. Truffaut as they collaborated on different projects together. Best thing in the film is the elegant Delphine Seyrig, playing Fabienne Tabbard, a sophisticated seductress that captures Antoine's vivid imagination. Claude Jade appears as the sweet Christine, the woman Antoine desires. Michael Lonsdale is also perfect as M. Tabard, the shoe store owner.
"Stolen Kisses" remains among Francois Truffaut most best comedies, which seen today, evokes a bygone era and the atmosphere of a bygone period in Paris, which was lovingly photographed by Denys Clerval, with a musical score by Antoine Duhanel.