Saturday, August 23, 2014

saturday night movie: jules et jim


"They could have been beautiful"


"The yearnings of two hearts create such heavenly pain"

This morning I woke up thinking about the movie I had watched last night, Jules et Jim. It's my new favorite.

If the movie that I watch tonight is any good, it will also be my new favorite. It will not push aside Jules et Jim.. it will just squeeze in beside it at first place. My favorite film is 1000 films.

I have about three or four go-to movies when people ask my favorite (usually Sunday in New York, Sullivan's Travels, Hot Enough for June and Le Notti Bianche) but really those few movies are tied with hundreds more.

My favorite films stick with me. My love for Jules et Jim will not fade when a movie I watch next week hits me like a ton of bricks. Like all of my favorites, Jules et Jim will stick with me forever. But even if you are the kind of person with only two favorites, or ten... if you watch Jules et Jim I guarantee you will count it among them.

Jules et Jim is the story of two men -- one German, one French -- who remain best friends during the Great War and when one friend loves the other's wife. It is a breathtaking film; absolutely beautiful and wistful and heartbreaking. It stars Jeanne Moreau and one of my new favorite actors, (not pushing anyone aside, just saying "hello" and keeping all the others company) Oskar Werner.

It's not really the kind of film you can describe (or at least not the kind I can describe) so I recommend just watching it to see what I mean when I say that once you see it you will never forget it. It's available on hulu plus here or on amazon here.

One of the highlights of the film is Jeanne Moreau singing a pretty song Le Tourbillon:



This post was originally published on my movie blog, Silents and Talkies.
Artwork is acrylic & mixed media, available in my society6 shop here and here.