"The Adventures of Antoine Dano" is known as a miracle in the history of film. During the 20-year period, Truffaut and Jean-Pierre Rio collaborated 5 times to show Antoine ran away from home in his childhood. The life course of a young teenager with first love, a young man getting married and starting a business, until his middle-aged derailment and divorce. Had it not been for Truffau's death of illness in 1984, perhaps Antoine's story would have continued.
In the Antoine series, "Four Hundred Strikes" is a palace-class classic and is known as the pioneering work of the new wave of French films. "Stealing a Kiss" is also a relatively well-known work in the series, which won the French Film Critics Association Award for Truffaut in 1969. If it weren't for the 400-minute Soviet masterpiece "War and Peace", "Stealing a Kiss" would have a chance to win the best foreign language film Oscar of that year. Then, this witty and cute movie will probably spread more widely.
Regarding how to appreciate "Stealing a Kiss", I have a little tip that I think is useful: you can treat him as an independent film without considering the connection with the previous work.
Any series of films are faced with the problem of linking up and down. Some can't wait to force Xiaobai, who has just entered the pit, to refund his tickets, and some will be rain and dew on all audiences. On the surface, "Stealing a Kiss" seems to belong to the former: Antoine often meets some acquaintances who wave and greet like old friends and talk about the past. When I watched "Steal a Kiss" for the first time, whenever such plots appeared, I was always a little uneasy: Is this place to take over the plot of the previous one? Do you want to make up "400 Strikes" and "Antoine and Camelot"?
It was not until one day that I finally watched the first two films, and then it dawned on me: "400 Strikes" is about Antoine's childhood story, which is quite far away; while "Antoine and Camelot" is just one piece. In the half-hour short film, the plot and characters are very simple. Therefore, the narrative scene in "Stealing a Kiss" can be said to be its unique narrative method, which is concise, bright and meaningful. As long as appropriate aesthetic expectations are established, it is entirely possible to interpret them from the film itself.
There is another reason, perhaps even more important: Antoine's image is separated from the previous work. He lacked family warmth since he was a child, ran away from home many times, entered the juvenile management office, and suffered 400 blows. At the age of 17, he had already lived independently, working in a record factory, and going to the cinema to pick up girls. Such a person should understand the hardships of earning a living, should be cautious and pragmatic, and should not waste any opportunity. But Antoine in "Stealing a Kiss" is the opposite: so-so, frizzy, and stubborn at every disagreement, just like a newbie.
The plot of "Stealing a Kiss" can be summarized in eight words: four jobs, two women.
Four jobs correspond to four unemployment. The first job loss occurred at the beginning of the film, when Antoine was still a soldier. He was released from prison, was reprimanded by his boss, and was finally expelled from the army.
Although Antoine's identity is subtle, his mistake is extremely simple: leave without authorization, three times in a row! This seems absurd, but it sets the tone for our protagonist. He is a free and unfettered young man who does whatever he wants and doesn't like being restrained. What is responsibility? nonexistent! In addition, he has no higher demands, and has no interest in the current situation and social trends.
The second job was introduced by Christine's father, working at a small hotel and on duty at night. Before long, Antoine was unemployed again because of the rape incident. "Catch the rape" is a witty passage in the film. The precise and vivid portrayal of the three main characters reveals Antoine's ignorance, the detective's cunning and the cowardly vileness of her husband. . Let's analyze it in detail:
① Antoine took out the trash early in the morning (the young man worked hard enough!), when he saw two strangers breaking into the hotel, he hurried back to stop him
② The old detective lied, and Antoine believed it was true, and immediately told Mrs. Colin's room number, without paying attention to the bald man who was looking bad next to him. (On the one hand, it shows that Antoine lacks professionalism. On the other hand, it can be seen that he is kind by nature, thinking about what others think, and anxious about what others want.)
③ Entering the room, the bald man did not rush to beat the adulterer, but tore his wife’s underwear to pieces (this person immediately understood)
④ His wife didn't feel guilty, but exposed the old bottom of the bald man (profusely)
⑤ The old detective couldn't stand it anymore, and handed the vase on the table to the bald man. The eldest brother was angry (?) and threw the flower in the bottle on the daughter-in-law (Waterfall Khan)
⑥ Under the repeated guidance of the old detective, the bald man finally smashed the vase. The old detective's goal was achieved, and he pulled Antoine downstairs to call the police. Antoine called the fire brigade (Flood Khan). The old detective stuffed money, but Antoine refused.
⑦ Antoine called the police. The innkeeper heard the noise coming out to inquire. At this time Antoine still couldn't figure out what happened, but somehow took the old detective's money in his hand (it was sweatless)
⑧ The boss drove away the old detective and fired Antoine by the way
Antoine got a blessing in disguise, and under the recommendation of an old detective, he entered the Barrardi office as a private investigator, and since then he has a third job. This is the main line of "Stealing a Kiss", and Antoine's various encounters are all unfolded.
The detective's job is decent, high-paying, thrilling, and able to satisfy vanity. He looks very ideal. However, soon after Xiao An joined, the firm held a working meeting, which seemed to predict his future. A total of 4 people spoke in the meeting, and each of them was very typical. The same is true for the company you and I work for: some people have outstanding abilities, but they like to take advantage of the rules (female detectives); some lack talent, but they work hard and work hard (middle-aged people); some The qualifications are old and the seniority is high. Even the boss gives him three points. He is also happy to rely on the old and sell the old (old detective); to be a leader, you need to look at the overall situation and see the essence through the phenomenon. And our super cute new Antoine, without any suspense...
Antoine’s career as a detective has been messed up three times, and the level of smashing is clearly defined. The basket is getting bigger and bigger: the first time a woman was found following a woman, and they called the police, Antoine fled in embarrassment; the second time he was lost at the post office. For the magician, this is not a big deal in itself, but Antoine did his own death and submitted a Martian report: He believed that the magician spent the night in the post office and was replaced; for the last time he was undercover in Mr. Tabard’s shoe store. , But brought him a green hat... This time it really got into trouble, and it seriously touched the bottom line of the director: if you are unable to work, I can bear it, if you don’t understand the rules of the workplace, I can bear it, but you are acting for your own sake. I can't bear to cut off Lao Tzu's money, TMD! Unfortunately, the old detective passed away at this time, and Antoine lost his last backer.
Antoine's fourth job was a TV repairman, and he became a blue-collar worker again from a dignified private detective. At this time, he was already a bit of a dead end, anxious and frustrated. Fortunately, Antoine handed over luck and found the home of his feelings. But because of this, he was unemployed again, and the long job search still couldn't see the end.
After talking about four jobs, let's talk about two women in Antoine's life: Christine and Mrs. Tabard.
In fact, besides them, Antoine also has many women. For example, after being expelled from the army, he couldn't wait to find the young lady, and he once "shook the wall" with a tall girl. He did these things without hesitation, without concealment, without guilt, as normal as eating when hungry and sleeping when sleepy. In Truffaut's view, this is purely a physiological need, not only will not tarnish love, but even the foundation of love.
Christine and her family are inseparable. As mentioned earlier, Antoine often met some acquaintances in "Stealing a Kiss." Christine’s family is Antoine’s closest acquaintances, and they are his patrons and saviours: Antoine can go to Ke’s house at will; the old Christine introduces him to work; the two elders unite Antoine and his daughter. ; Christine eventually became Antoine’s wife... For Antoine, who has no family, no property, and no education, can know the Christine family, even if the galaxy has not been saved in the previous life, this life is also old Ke Block the bullets.
Christine is a simple girl: living with her parents all the time, except for Antoine, she doesn't see other male friends, and doesn't step on two boats like Klett. Antoine is probably Christine's first love: once to eat at her house, Antoine kissed Christine in the wine cellar, which made her panic, and even deliberately avoided Antoine for a period of time.
Simplicity does not mean dullness. In the face of the man he likes, Christine is not helpless. After a long see-saw in love, she finally cleverly used a beauty trick and captured the heart of the prodigal son. It was a humorous Truffau scene: downstairs, the TV was torn apart, and the meter had already exploded-terrible workmanship, Christine only took one part...upstairs , Antoine once again slept with a female employer-confused guy, this job won't last long...
Compared with Christine's infatuation, Antoine doesn't care much about Christine, and treats her when she is called and leaves. On the way the two were dating, he could leave Christine without hesitation. When he can't see Christine, he can sneak to find other girls. After meeting Mrs. Tabard, Antoine made it clear that he and Christine were just pure relationships between men and women.
The reason why Antoine and Christine are combined is that on the one hand, he is at the bottom of his life because of his broken love and unemployment; another reason is that she has given Antoine the warmth of the family that Antoine has never experienced. After waking up, the kitchen prepared a delicious breakfast. For a child who was not happy in childhood, it is very attractive.
Christine said to Antoine: "I will teach you something you will never forget, and I will tell you all that you know. Similarly, you have to tell me all that you know." What a chic and sharp Love confession~
However, this relationship was not blessed by Truffaut. Antoine puts the corkscrew on her ring finger as a ring, clearly implying that this is not a sacred, solemn and indestructible marriage promise. Antoine was just confused by the illusion of happiness, and there is no guarantee that he will not betray Christine in the future. In fact, he did so in the later "Bedsman" and "Love Running".
Contrary to the separation and recombination of this pair of enemies, Mrs. Tabard conquered Antoine's heart as soon as she appeared: as if hearing the call in the dark, Antoine was accompanied by ethereal passive music through the empty space. shoe store. I saw this gorgeously dressed young woman trying on shoes. Outside the shop, Mr. Tabard's car was waiting for her.
Zhang Zhuan wrote in "A Brief History of Western Film Art":
Truffaut’s works have the most French spirit and French sentiment...He is a true romance master. The romantic, elegant and sentimental temperament of French art can be seen in his works. Love is the eternal theme of his works. .
In "Stealing a Kiss," Truffaut wants to describe a passionate love that makes people unable to extricate themselves from it. This is the core of the film, and Mrs. Thabad is the embodiment of passionate love. More precisely, after meeting Mrs. Tabard, Antoine was completely occupied by passion.
Antoine began to fall in love at the age of 17. Although he is not a lover, he is also a veteran. But in front of Mrs. Tabard, he once again became a young boy who had just begun to love him. He was always pale, always at a loss, and always carefully guarding the secrets of his heart, but he could not hide from anyone's eyes.
Passionate love is not unique to Antoine. The film also describes two other passionate loves, namely, the client of the detective agency, Albenni, to the magician, and the unknown man to Christine.
Passionate love is an unspeakable and fatal attraction. Antoine and Mrs. Tabard meet together, and the unknown man and Christine have never met, but a glance or a rubbing of the shoulders is enough to ignite the raging flame of love.
Passionate love does not distinguish the object, and does not care about the actual pros and cons. Wealth, status, and even gender cannot prevent one person from becoming passionate about another. Antoine has too many reasons to love Christine: Christine knows him, Christine is loyal to him, Christine can give him a stable life, but Antoine only regards Christine as a safe haven. The person Antoine enthusiastically loves is a forbidden zone that he cannot touch.
Passionate love shook people's hearts like a mountain collapse, and made those trapped in it no longer be restrained by acceptability, abandon the pretense of self, and become a lunatic in the eyes of ordinary people. So Antoine would flee from Mrs. Tabard in a panic; therefore, when Alberni heard the news of the magician’s marriage, he would go into a rage in the detective office; so the unknown man would make a hopeless confession to Christine.
Every appearance of Antoine is a severe torture of Antoine and Christine's marriage. At the end of the film, his monologue to Christine is the finishing touch to "Stealing a Kiss":
I know i'm just a stranger to you
I have been with you for a long time
But I won't hide anymore, it's time
I never fell in love with anyone before seeing you
I hate temporary affairs
I know life well, everyone will betray others
But you and me will be different, we will never leave each other, even if it’s just an hour
I have no job and no burden of living, you are the only one for me
I understand, it seems too sudden for you to understand immediately
You need time to cut off the past, cut off those temporary relationships
I will be the last
...
I'm very happy. "
Christine: "That man is crazy!"
Antoine: "...Yes, I believe he is a lunatic.
The attitude of the two people towards the unknown man is very interesting: Christine came to a conclusion without hesitation, but Antoine was insincere. Because Christine has not experienced the setbacks of love, and Antoine has experienced the undesirable pain many times.
Let's make an assumption, if Antoine and Mrs. Tabard stay together for a long time, or the mysterious man marries Christine. What is their future?
"Stealing a Kiss" didn't answer directly, only gave a murky hint.
Let's go back to the beginning of the film, the scene where Antoine and Christine met for the first time: a pair of friends who are not full of lovers reunited after a long time, the once close relationship is alienated, no one can understand the other's thoughts, and the conversation is full of caution The temptation, the faint rebuke, and the weak justification. In the meantime, Christine revealed that Antoine had written 19 letters to her within a week...
19 letters! Nearly 3 letters per day! If Antoine was not in love with Christine at the time, it would be unfair to both of them. It's a pity that this is just a hazy background. In the "Stealing a Kiss" feature film, Antoine has already lost his original passion. What made his heart cool? It is the obstruction of space, the torment of wanting to see but not seeing, the torture of hospitals and prisons... In the final analysis, it is the ability to kill all time.
The relationships in "Stealing a Kiss" represent the silhouettes of love at different stages. The nameless man is the steadfastness and beauty that life has just seen, the magician is the embarrassment and embarrassment that has been lost but is unwilling to let go, Antoine and Mrs. Tabard are the compromise and give up in the face of the pressure of reality. In the film, only Christine is happy, but what awaits her in the future is a series of betrayals by Ruyi Langjun. Even breathtaking love is destined to not last long. It is countless "temporary relationships" that make love and marriage eternal.
Compared with Truffaut's other masterpieces (such as "Juul and Jim", "Soft Skin" or "The Last Subway"), "Stolen Kiss" is closer to life, there is no life and death, no life and death, no stormy waves in life. Antoine and Christine went through some small twists and turns, and finally came together. Life is still going on, Antoine will be unemployed again and again, hanging around under the skirts of one woman after another. It can be said that "Stealing a Kiss" is a process, not an end.
"Stealing a Kiss" is a light comedy of life, with a lively rhythm and a little humor from time to time. Jean Pierre Rio's performances are often exaggerated. Like a glass of clear and transparent soda, the passionate love like whiskey is no longer so bitter.
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