Jules Et Jim

Part of Metro Tartan's Francois Truffaut Collection, this is the sort of DVD which reminds you what interesting extras can be gathered together, if only companies put their minds to it.

The introduction to the film is intelligent and informative, without being overlong or full of "spoilers", setting the scene nicely for the movie to come. The print itself looks good, although there is some grain in places, especially in the stock footage.

The subtitles are clear, with the narration and speech set apart by use of italics, and although there are a few spelling mistakes they are, by and large, on the button. In many ways, watching this film with subtitles adds to the experience, as it was all overdubbed after it had been shot, because you don't notice the moments when the lipsync slips, as you are concentrating on the text as well.

Jeanne Moreau's commentary takes the form of an interview. In some ways this is good, but in others it is annoying, as she is constantly being led by the interviewer, who often goes off on tangents, talking more about what he thinks the film is trying to say than letting her call the shots.

All power to Metro Tartan, though, for at least having a commentary track, as despite these limitations she does provide some fascinating insights about the work and the other actors and Truffaut himself. She talks about the places they shot the film, how she spent two days in bed after having to jump in a river because her stunt double got drunk on rum and about the relationship between Werner and Truffaut and its deterioration when they shot Fahrenheit 451 together four years later.

Each part of the commentary has a chapter title, meaning that you can stop and start wherever you wish, and the subtitle switch from her comments to the film soundtrack is neatly achieved, although woe betide anyone who accidentally turns the subtitles off, as it isn't obvious how to reactivate them.

The Truffaut footage is fascinating. There are few things better than getting to see a director actually talk about his work. His comments on discovering the original book by Henri-Pierre Roche and about the author dying before the film was complete adds an extra dimension to the film. His discussion of one or two scenes is interesting, as well. It gives a feeling for the way his mind worked and the manner in which he approached filmmaking.

This is such a nicely structured DVD, you can even forgive the blatant marketing inclusion of a trailer for the other films in the Collection. A must for French movie fans.