Love on the Run (1979)

Love on the Run (1979)

“Don’t forget, it’s fiction — a bit autobiographical, but fiction.”

Synopsis:
30-year-old Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Leaud) quarrels with his girlfriend (Dorothee), goes through an amicable divorce with his wife (Claude Jade), and reminisces with his first love (Marie-France Pisier).

Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:

  • Flashback Films
  • Francois Truffaut Films
  • French Films

Response to Peary’s Review:
The final installment in Truffaut’s “Antoine Doinel” saga is an unfortunate disappointment. The majority of the movie consists of flashbacks to the previous four films (The 400 Blows, “Antoine and Colette” in Love at Twenty, Stolen Kisses, and Bed and Board), offering little that’s new or insightful about Doinel, and occasionally misusing footage in a way that’s guaranteed to annoy purists. Given that eight years had passed since the latest installment in the series, it’s easy to imagine that audiences at the time were eager to relive some of their favorite Doinel scenes; but for modern viewers — who will likely watch the films in a row — it’s simply redundant.

Of the original scenes in the movie, none stand out as particularly humorous or insightful; we get the sense that Doinel hasn’t moved far beyond his limitations with both women and work, but at this point it’s difficult to have much patience for his immaturity. It’s also annoying to watch Claude Jade (Doinel’s wife) continue her long-suffering tolerance for her philandering husband; her patience and good will is truly inhuman, and clearly wishful thinking on Truffaut’s part. Ultimately, as Peary notes, Love on the Run “doesn’t do one of cinema’s great characters justice”, and is only “minor Truffaut”.

Redeeming Qualities and Moments:

  • An affectionate — if unsatisfying — homage to Truffaut’s leading character, Antoine Doinel

Must See?
No, but most film fanatics will likely be curious to watch it once, simply to complete the “must see” Antoine Doinel series.

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One thought on “Love on the Run (1979)

  1. Skip it.

    On the heels of ‘The 400 Blows’, Doinel went on to become one of the dullest characters in all of cinema history. (I really *would* prefer to watch paint dry.) Why so much celluloid was spent on this idiot just boggles the mind. And how a character of no real standing managed to get his tedious memoirs published pushes the line of credibility.

    This closing (thank God!) chapter is nicely filmed by Nestor Almendros (naturally) – but so what?

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