Stolen Kisses (1968)

After being discharged from the army, Antoine Doinel centers a screwball comedy where he applies for different jobs and tries to make sense of his relationships with women.

Director:

François Truffaut

Writers:

François Truffaut (scenario and dialogue), Claude de Givray (scenario and dialogue)

Stars:

Jean-Pierre Léaud, Claude Jade, Delphine Seyrig

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean-Pierre Léaud	...	Antoine Doinel
Delphine Seyrig	...	Fabienne Tabard
Claude Jade	...	Christine Darbon
Michael Lonsdale	...	Georges Tabard (as Michel Lonsdale)
Harry-Max	...	Monsieur Henri
André Falcon	...	Monsieur Blady
Daniel Ceccaldi	...	Lucien Darbon
Claire Duhamel	...	Madame Darbon
Catherine Lutz	...	Catherine
Martine Ferrière	...	La chef-vendeuse du magasin de chaussures
Jacques Rispal	...	Monsieur Colin
Serge Rousseau	...	Le type qui suit Christine
Paul Pavel	...	Julien
François Darbon	...	L'adjudant-chef Picard
Albert Simono	...	Albani, le client de l'agence (as Simono)

Storyline

Antoine Doinel joined the army but has just been discharged. The film tells his reunion with Christine Darbon, the girl he was in love with before the beginning of the film, and his adventures in his jobs : first as a night watchman, then as a private investigator, especially during one investigation within Mr Tabard's shoes-shop... Mme Tabard is so fascinating...

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Plot Keywords:

private detective | telephone booth | fired from the job | young man | hotel room | 

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Taglines:

Antoine knows what he wants to do...his problem is doing it

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French English

Release Date:

February 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

Stolen Kisses

Filming Locations:

15 Rue de Steinkerque, Paris 18, Paris, France

Box Office

Budget:

$350,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$11,206, 25 April 1999

Gross USA:

$509

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$509

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films du Carrosse, Les Productions Artistes Associés

Technical Specs

Runtime:

91 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

This film is part of the Criterion Collection, spine #186.

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Goofs

When Antoine kisses Christine in the basement, he pushes her back against the wall. The walls are dirty and leave black stains across the back of her sweater. When they leave and she reaches the top of the stairs the stains are gone.

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Quotes

Georges Tabard: Do you speak English, Antoine?
Antoine Doinel: I'm learning from records, but it's not easy.
Georges Tabard: Records are a joke. There's only one way to learn: in bed with an English girl. It's time you learned. I learned with an Australian girl while her husband was at work painting houses.
Fabienne Tabard: Like Hitler.
Georges Tabard: Don't ever say Hitler was a housepainter. That's slander. Hitler painted landscapes.

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Connections

References The 400 Blows (1959)

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Soundtracks

Que Reste-t-il de nos Amours ?
Music by Charles Trenet and Léo Chauliac
Lyrics by Charles Trenet
Performed by Charles Trenet

User Reviews

Saw for the 5th time...after a 20 year interval.

It is incredible how well this film has held up over the years, and how it continues to fill you with all the spirit of hope and exultation that was part of l'epoque. This is not an overtly political film, though there are passing references to and images of the contemporary demonstrations which would shake France to its core in May of '68. Nonetheless, it captures spectacularly well the revolutionary feel of the times and makes perfectly understandable why Truffaut and Godard would call for the cancellation of the Cannes Festival of 1968. Nothing could go on has it had in the past after May '68, and "Stolen Kisses" itself was a statement of that refusal. The film is perhaps the best political film of the upheaval of that period for at least two reasons: 1) the attitude towards work: Antoine Doinel passes from job to job without a second thought, not worrying himself about a "career," and with a playful attitude that seemed inspired by Guy Debord's slogan of "ne travaillez jamais" ("never work"); 2) the attitude towards life in general: the film reflects that sensibility of the '68 movement that "everything is possible", that life can be lived as one adventure after another (as opposed to the dreary workaday life proffered by the bourgeoisie), that the craziest things can happen to you and that you should be open to taking them into your life (e.g., Christine falling in love with Antoine and vice versa). The lightness of the film is its greatest quality, for it suggests that all those "heavy" structures, physical, psychological, political and societal, can be overcome ("sous les pavés, la plage"/"beneath the pavement lies the beach") and life can be recovered.