Baisers volés [Stolen Kisses] (1968)

(On TV, January 2021) An accident of DVR scheduling led me to watch Baisers volés after its immediate sequel Domicile conjugal, and that didn’t work in the film’s favour. Rather than a sequel to Les 400 coups that had viewers wondering if the protagonist will get together with the cute red-haired girl, it ends up being a “here’s how they got together” prequel that prefigures more sadness to come knowing how Domicile conjugal ends. On the other hand—or perhaps the same hand—the successful blend of drama/comic elements from the following film isn’t quite as nicely executed here: Baisers volés feels longer, duller, more laborious than its successor and probably would have felt fresher if I had seen first. Still, it’s not an unpleasant film. The protagonist of the series (played by Jean-Pierre Léaud) is still a likable screw-up, here unable to hold on to a job longer than a few weeks following his dishonourable discharge from the army. Writer/director François Truffaut plays with form a bit—notably in expanding a small window into a full frame, or in having the character repeat names in front of a mirror for what seems to be an endless amount of time. If you see Baisers volés, make sure it’s in the series intended order.