French, with English subtitles

In pre-WWI France, a shy German Jew, Jules (Werner) becomes friends with a more outgoing Frenchman, Jim (Serre). Quickly they become inseparable, sharing their time, experiences and women. Then along comes Catherine (Jeanne Moreau). The three have many good moments but for the first time Jules asks Jim that they don't share everything, needing Catherine for himself. Jim acquiesces, even though he desires her, because he values Jules' friendship. Jules manages to woo Catherine with his naivete and freshness, persuading her to accept his proposal of marriage. World War I breaks out with Jules and Jim drafted into the opposing armies. Fighting on the French front, their chief fear is that they could shoot each other although, thankfully, they both make it to the Armistice. After the war Catherine's marriage to Jules is in jeopardy and she is drawn towards Jim. Pretty soon the three are in what the French refer to as a mnage a trois. The feeling of exuberance at the start makes way for a more somber tone as the world recovers from a world conflagration and the three protagonists discover the consequences of indecision.

Franois Truffaut's masterpiece functions on several levels, as anything from a simple love story to an allegory on the fractured state of Europe between the two World Wars. The film is physically entrancing with its fluid cinematography and beautiful use of composition, the striking and harmonious score, the imaginative use of freeze-frames and convincing period feel. There are natural and sympathetic performances from the three leads and the film still seems as fresh and innovative as when it was first released. (By the way, for those who are not connoisseurs of European cinema, Franois Truffaut was the French dude in Close Encounters of the Third Kind).