Bohemian Paris, 1910. Two young writers meet and become close friends. During a visit to a Greek island, they are fascinated by the smile on the face of an ancient statue and, back in Paris, the smile of a capricious young woman similarly captivates them both. Thus begins a prolonged menage-a-trois ending in tragedy. Based on the novel by 73-year-old writer Henri-Pierre Roché (who, legend has it, was responsible for introducing Gertrude Stein to Picasso), and with its obvious connection to Lubitsch's cheerier (and psychologically less complex) Design for Living, Jules and Jim updates both with its lyrical construction and Raoul Coutard's brilliant photography.
“What belongs undeniably and unmistakably to Truffaut is the film's sense of movement. Just as the story sweeps along from 1910 to 1933, so Truffaut's camera pans, swoops, dives, irises in and out, tracks and turns on itself in great full circles. Cuts and jump-cuts follow on each other with breathless speed and elegance. But whenever it is necessary, Truffaut never hesitates to slow his camera down, to slide in and hold the characters in close-up for important dialogue scenes. And then, smoothly, the movement starts up again....” (Richard Roud, in Sight and Sound, August 1962)