Rating: 
Summary: Perfect Truffaut Package.
Review: All of the Antoine Doinel films are here in this excellent dvd box set. The films are packaged in their best possible presentation thanks to Criterion, and the special features are all one could ask for including Truffaut's first short film. Not only a great collection of films (THE 400 BLOWS and STOLEN KISSES are among the best) but one of the best titles in the Criterion Collection. A Must own.
Rating:
Summary: Looks like a treasure chest, and it is one indeed.
Review: I am very partial to all of Truffaut's movies, and I am very partial to all the DVDs released by Criterion Collection. To write a review about both of them is bound to be a praise over and over. These movies, masterfully transferred by Criterion, are some of the most memorable treasures of all time. Truffaut has that rare gift of storytelling, and these are some of the finest examples. Lucid and honest, yet never so obvious, the stories are told as if an intimate secret from a friend. Stolen Kisses, in particular, will make you rethink about the much loved-or-despised genre called romantic comedy. The previous previewers have done an excellent job, so I shouldn't even go further to explain every one in the series. The only thing I can add is that whether you watch movies analytically or for pure pleasure, these movies will not betray you.
Rating: 
Summary: Antoine Doinel Antoine Doinel Antoine Doinel Antoine Doinel
Review: I happily added this to my basket after reading the enthusiastic reviews here. I'm disappointed by the later films in the set, which seem only to regurgitate the shenanigans of the character we know so well.
400 Blows is a masterpiece, that happens also to be very truthful and touching. While watching, few people could help being reminded of the difficult times they had as children. The world is much different now, of course, so the movie to an extent reads as a historical document.
Bed and Board is very enjoyable, as we see Antoine as a victim of the world who will now take his special sort of revenge. In Love on the Run and Stolen Kisses, he is more painful to watch. He is clearly on the run from life itself, and buries his sadness and loneliness under sex and generally being mischevious.
Partway through Stolen Kisses, I realized that the films after 400 Blows were little more than series of gags. In a special feature on the Bed and Board disc, "Truffaut and co-writer Bernard Revon reveal their methods for generating scripts and developing ideas." We watch two men coming up with gags, and asking eachother, "Do you think that's funny?" and, "Which of these gags is funnier?" The gags are somewhat amusing, but soon become predictable. In each, Doinel gets in trouble and must find a way to dig out of the hole. As he does so, we suffer through Léaud's small repertoire of facial expressions, hair touches, and arm movements. And oh that Parisian French!
The repetitiveness becomes extreme in Stolen Kisses. Large segments of the first three films are simply shown again, between the episodes of "current" action. Truffaut, in an interview on the Love on the Run disc, stated that he was not satisfied with this film, since it was not really a whole film. He was concerned that the experimental nature of the film was too obvious. Hm. I suppose the goal of the experiment was to save as much film negative as possible. A silly film, only interesting to those who love Antoine Doinel.
As mentioned, the first two films are well worth watching, but don't buy the set unless you're sure you want to enter the inane world of Antoine Doinel.
Rating:
Summary: François Truffaut - best director of all time.
Review: In every way shape and form of moviemaking, Truffaut is the best. Best French director, best director, PERIOD! I wish Criterion would release all his films in bundled sets like this one. Can't wait to get this set, as it looks full of extra goodies! I feel bad for all of those who spent a fortune on the OOP original Criterion 400 blows, because it's back with everything the original one had and then some! While I can't comment on the transfers just yet, it's most likely going to be better than than the current releases.This set includes what I feel is one of the 3 best Truffaut movies: Stolen Kisses (along with The Man Who Loved Women, and possibly the best, Jules and Jim). Here is a breakdown of the movies in order of my preference: Stolen Kisses: A truly original gem of a film, which can stand alone from the other 2 adult Doinel movies the best. Funny, intimate, beautifully filmed and acted. The scene in which he repeats his name "Antoine Doinel" over and over again is my favorite. Wooing women and muddling through a young man's life has never been captured better. Bed and Board: Nice to see Doinel again, this time in a crisis over his marriage vs. a mistress. A nice view of this part of Doinel's life. Hard for Antoine to go through, but easy and fun for us to watch! Antoine and Collette: A brilliant short film on the frustrations of teen love. The 400 Blows: Original, daring, brilliantly shot and directed by Truffaut. It's just not as attention grabbing to me as his later stuff. A good start, but Truffaut was just warming up. I actually liked the commentary on the Fox/Lorber DVD by Premiere magazine's Glenn Kenny. Love on the Run: The least of this bunch, but by no means a bad film. Very nice to see all the characters in Doinel's life return. A nice way to end the series. This will be a must have for any Truffaut fan's collection, or any movie lover's for that matter!
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best Criterion releases yet.
Review: In this 5 disc set, the five Antoine Doinel films are released. All are by François Truffaut.
The first film, "The 400 Blows" or "Le Quatre Cents Coups" was previouslly released by the Criterion Collection but was taken out of print until this version was released. Truffaut based it loosely on his own troubled adolescence. It follows 14 year old Antoine Doinel's youth playing hooky from school, later running away from home and eventually sent to a juvenile deliquent center.
The second film "Antoine and Collette" or ""Antoine et Colette" was originally a segment of a film titled "L'Amour à vingt ans" or "Love at Twenty" It follows his life as he is in his late teens working in a phonograph record factory.
The third film, "Stolen Kisses" or "Baisers volés" covers his dishonorable discharge from the army, his reunion with his girlfriend, and subsequent attempts to find a steady job
The fourth film, "Bed & Board" or "Domicile conjugal" skips ahead to after he is married. It covers his wife's pregnancy, his son's birth, and an adulterous affair he has with a Japanese woman.
The fifth and final film, "Love on the Run" or "L'Amour en fuite" covers the process of his divorce and reunion with an ex flame.
The films wer made between 1959 and 1979 and Jean-Pierre Léaud reprises his role for each film. The films are very impressive and quite rare for there to be series like this. Each film has some fine secenes and some interesting comedy. The acting is good and many scenes are well photographed.
The box set has some excellent special features also.
out of the five discs, four are numbered. For describing the special features, I will list the unnumbered disc as the last one.
Disc one contains the first two films. 400 Blows and Antoine & Colette. The supplements for the 400 Blows are similar to ones in the out of print version. There are two audio commentaries. One is by film professor, Brian Stonehill and the other is by Robert Lachenay who was a lifelong friend of François Truffaut. The commentary by Lachenay is in French with subtitles. There is also audition footage for three of the child actors in the film. Jean-Pierre Léaud who played Antoine, Patrick Auffay, who played Rene, and Richard Kanayan who played Abbou. There is also footage of Jean-Pierre at the Cannes film festival for the screening of the film and a theatrical trailer. There are also two television interviews with François Truffaut about the making of the film.
It also contains the short film, Antoine and Colette.
Disc two contains the film Stolen Kisses along with the following special features:
There is News footage of Truffaut's participation in the sucessful attempt to shut down the 1968 Canne Film Festival to support students and striking workers, a TV spot of Truffaut and Jean-Luc Goddard showing ther support for Cinémathèque française founder, Henri Langlois at a time when his job was in jeopardy, news footage of French cinema VIP's protesting against the planned removal of Henri Langlois from his job, excerpts from a TV interview with Truffaut discussing actor Jean-Pierre Léaud's portrayal of Antoine, and a video introduction to the film and events surrounding its release presented by film historian Serge Toubiana.
Disc three contains the film Bed and Board with the following supplements:
Behind the scenes footage with interviews of some of the cast & crew, a TV interview with Jean-Pierre talking about the film being the last in the series (before Truffaut decided to make the fifth and final film,) a TV interview with Truffaut and Bernard Revon discussing how the write the scripts, and a scene from a Truffaut documentary where he discusses the character of Antoine Doinel.
Disc four contains the final film in the series Love on the Run along with the following
Truffaut and Marie-France Pisier talking about their work on the film and their feelings about the film, Scenes of a TV interview with Truffaut talking about his feelings on ending the series, There is also a theatrical trailer.
The final unnumbered disc contains:
François Truffaut's 1957 short film, "Les Mistons" or "The Mischief Makers" about some young teenage boys who attempt to sabotage the relationship of an older couple. The film also has oprional audio commentary by Claude De Givray. It is in French with English subtitles. There is also a primer for the film presented by Serge Toubiana, a noted film historian.
There is also a 44 minute interview with co-writers Claude deGivray and Bernard Revon. A scene from a 1961 documentary titled "François Truffaut," a 1981 TV interview with Truffaut, and a slide show of movie posters for the four feature length Doinel films.
This set is a must buy for those who like the series as well as Criterion collectors, and fans of François Truffaut's work.
Rating:
Summary: The Adventures of Antoine Doinel
Review: It's about time some more Francois Truffaut DVDs are coming to DVD, and in what better way than The Criterion Collection! This will surely be the crown gem in any DVD collection, and a true treasure for generations to come. The set consists of all the Antoine Doinel movies (played over a twenty year period by Jean-Pierre Léaud). It includes the following four movies - The 400 Blows - Featuring a brand new remastered transfer, I really don't need to give a summary of this film, because it's the masterpiece in the set! Definately one of the best coming of age stories ever committed to film. Stolen Kisses - Continues Doinel's adventures years after the original incident. Follows his adventures in the army as well as his reunion with his ex-girlfriend. Bed and Board - Doinel a bit older in this one. Pretty comical movie, but also has that air of seriousness to it. He's married in this one, but do you really expect him to be happily married? Nope, and falling for a coworker won't help things either. This is my personal favorite of the bunch. Love on the Run - A bit more serious than the last couple Doinel films, but just as inspired. He's older and more mature now, as a divorced man, and lives his life as an editor. After meeting up with an old girlfriend, his final adventures occur. Each movie will be widescreen enhanced, and look great! It'll also have a disc primarily for the supplemental materials, and another famous Truffaut short. Although the price is steep, this collection is full of some of the greatest french pictures ever made, and should be a no brainer. You're getting 5 fully loaded discs for about $... dollars. That is essentially $... dollars per disc. If that's not a great deal, I don't know what is!
Rating:
Summary: Antoine et Colette great for French classrooms
Review: OK, so I've only seen Antoine et Colette, the second (& shortest) of the films on this collection, but I thought it was great. At 30 minutes and with nothing scandalous or taboo, it is perfect for a French high school or college classroom. The story is timeless - boy falls in love with girl, girl says "lets be friends" - and charmingly understated. I think today's students will relate. In addition to being a well-told story, the 60s experimental music interest Antoine & Colette share & the classic Paris setting make for intersting sub-fodder.
Rating:
Summary: Antoine et Colette great for French classrooms
Review: OK, so I've only seen Antoine et Colette, the second (& shortest) of the films on this collection, but I thought it was great. At 30 minutes and with nothing scandalous or taboo, it is perfect for a French high school or college classroom. The story is timeless - boy falls in love with girl, girl says "lets be friends" - and charmingly understated. I think today's students will relate. In addition to being a well-told story, the 60s experimental music interest Antoine & Colette share & the classic Paris setting make for intersting sub-fodder.
Rating:
Summary: Thank You Criterion
Review: There isn't much I can say about Truffaut that hasn't been stated already. The man is a genius. You can sense his love of life in every frame of his films. I never thought I'd have much interest in French film or culture. Hitchcock was and still is my favorite director of them all. Once I learned how much Truffaut respected Hitch I became more interested in his works. What a happy accident that at the exact same time Criterion released this set. I think The 400 Blows was nearly impossible to find. Before this collection, all Criterion editions had sold out. As for plot, amazon has already provided all that you need to know. What is important is the character of Doinel; a charming, infuriating, idealistic, romantic, ridiculous manchild. How many movies document most of a character's life? Especially one that outwardly leads a somewhat ordinary life. You can't really categorize any of these movies as sequels since not that much is repeated. The consistencies among the movies ring true to real life. (ex. recurring characters like the tall longhaired guy, Antoine ogling his latest 'apparition'.) The only let down was Love On The Run. The character of Sabine wasn't that fascinating, and you cared more about Claude Jade's character than her. There were way too many flashbacks too. But much of that is forgiven due to the 'discovery' Antoine makes. If you tend to overdose on life, then you must see this series. The only other Truffaut film I've managed to see otherwise is Day For Night, but I wholeheartedly encourage you to see that too.
Rating:
Summary: Thank You Criterion
Review: There isn't much I can say about Truffaut that hasn't been stated already. The man is a genius. You can sense his love of life in every frame of his films. I never thought I'd have much interest in French film or culture. Hitchcock was and still is my favorite director of them all. Once I learned how much Truffaut respected Hitch I became more interested in his works. What a happy accident that at the exact same time Criterion released this set. I think The 400 Blows was nearly impossible to find. Before this collection, all Criterion editions had sold out. As for plot, amazon has already provided all that you need to know. What is important is the character of Doinel; a charming, infuriating, idealistic, romantic, ridiculous manchild. How many movies document most of a character's life? Especially one that outwardly leads a somewhat ordinary life. You can't really categorize any of these movies as sequels since not that much is repeated. The consistencies among the movies ring true to real life. (ex. recurring characters like the tall longhaired guy, Antoine ogling his latest 'apparition'.) The only let down was Love On The Run. The character of Sabine wasn't that fascinating, and you cared more about Claude Jade's character than her. There were way too many flashbacks too. But much of that is forgiven due to the 'discovery' Antoine makes. If you tend to overdose on life, then you must see this series. The only other Truffaut film I've managed to see otherwise is Day For Night, but I wholeheartedly encourage you to see that too.
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