Jules, Jim... et Catherine

Although the title only mentions the two heros of the film, it is impossible to forget the heroine Catherine, played by Jeanne Moreau. Catherine is a multifaceted character who functions as the film's muse, having both the capacity to inspire and to upset the sentiments of our two heros Jules (Oskar Werner) and Jim (Henri Serre). Her significance is portrayed practically from the debut of the film, as Truffaut gives Catherine the first speaking line.

Before the credits begin, the film opens with a pitch black screen, and we hear the solemn voice of Catherine reciting the following lines,

" Tu m'as dit, "je t'aime," Je t'ai dit, "attends," J'allais dire, "prends-moi," Tu m'as dit, "va-t-en."

“You told me, "I love you", I told you, "wait," I almost said, "take me," you said, "go”

Because there are no visual distractions (as the screen is black), her words become our only point of reference, and we are forced to listen to her message. Here, speaking about love, Catherine demonstrates the impossibility to sustain passion, whereas according to Catherine love seems to rotate between desires that fluctuate over time. Catherine, who serves as the object of desire in Jules et Jim, acts out this proverb as she cuts and runs into the arms of Jules, Jim, and her various other lovers throughout the film. Although Catherine's endeavors create tension across the screen, the relationship between Jules and Jim is also tested in different scenes, allowing us to explore the boundaries of platonic love as well as romantic. In this essay, I would like to explore how Truffaut initially depicts the friendship between Jules and Jim sans Catherine, and how the introduction of her character affects their relationship. Does Catherine successfully destabilize their friendship, or does their bond transcend their mutual desire for Catherine?

Truffaut excludes Catherine from the first ten minutes of the film and practically over- emphasizes the bond the exists between Jules et Jim 'pre-Catherine.' Speaking rapidly, the narrator recants the evolution of their friendship, from their initial meeting up until their self described "inseparable" relationship. In order to quickly convince the viewer of their inseparability, Truffaut creates a montage of images of varying activities Jules and Jim perform together. The first image is a medium shot of Jules and Jim in profile, sitting across from one another as they play chess. The two men literally divide the screen in half. Although the screen is thus balanced by both men, indicating the balance of their relationship, the two men are in actuality competing against one another. Although there is no detail to suggest any serious aspect of competition, it is remarkable that Truffaut chooses to initially depict Jules and Jim at odds, perhaps suggesting a sort of natural competition that exists in their friendship.

Truffaut also suggests a sense of sexual likeness between the two men. During Albert's (Boris Bassiaks) slideshow, the slide of female statue from the Adriatic coast appears to enamor both Jules and Jim. This is made evident by the fact that when Truffaut initially films the screen displaying the slideshow, he fixes the camera on the changing images, yet when the desired statue appears, he cuts to a medium shot of Jim and Jules staring at the slide. Truffaut wants to make sure that we not only see their reaction to the statue, but also that we see both men's reaction together in the shot. Furthermore, when Albert moves from this slide onto the next slide, Jim interrupts exclaiming "we would like to see the last image." Curiously, he uses the subjet "we" as if he is asking both on the part of Jules and himself.

The next sequence immediately cuts to Jules and Jim at the Adriatic outdoor museum where the statue resides. This skip of time between the slideshow and the two men walking towards the statue emphasizes the instant power generated by this statue, which has literally in a split second inspired the two men to seek the statue out personally. One striking detail pointed out by the narrator during this sequence is that fact that both men are wearing the exact same outfit. Perhaps this costume choice emphasizes their similar state of mind. Have these two men become a united force? The camera shifts into a point of view perspective, made evident by the fact that the men are excluded from the shot. This effect creates a more subjective feel, as if we are entering into the interior space of the two characters. After the camera jumps informally from one statue to another (as if we are following their eyes in search of the statue), the camera suddenly comes upon the statue from the slideshow. Shot in four separate takes, each circulating around the statue and slightly zooming in and out from the statue, the camera incorporates the feeling of excitement that Jules and Jim experience as they literary surround their fetishized object, observing it from every perspective possible. Finally, the narrator also seems to project the inner thoughts of Jules and Jim and claims in the conditional grammatical form, that if they would ever meet the doppelgänger of this statue, they would "follow it." Clearly, this sequence emphasizes the expression of their mutual attachment towards the statue.

Following their voyage on the Adriatic coast, Jules and Jim meet the personification of their fantasy haphazardly at a dinner party in Paris. Jules has invited three woman to the party, but only one stands out to both men. In the first appearance of Catherine, she along with two other women are shown in extreme long shot descending the art deco staircase of Jules's apartment (perhaps a tribute to Nude Descending A Staircase by Marcel Duchamp). The camera is placed behind the two men sitting below the staircase, and thus highlighting the women at the top of the staircase (and screen), aggrandizing their entrance. The camera cuts from an extreme long shot to a medium shot of Catherine's face, skipping the other two women who are in front of her (for Catherine outshines them both). Catherine's face is perfectly centered on the screen, as she dramatically lifts the veil off her face, highlighting the performance of her entrance. The narrator states that Catherine had the same smile of the statue on the island. Likewise, the process of filming Catherine even mimics the filmic technics used to film the statue. Again, the camera zooms in and out of her face. Following the rhythm of the narrator's uttarance of the three words "her mouth, her chin, her forehead," the camera simoultanosely cuts to three different shots of her face. Here, we are given the full spectrum of the different perspectives of her visage. Yet, these initial shots of Catherine seem to function as a study of her features, almost creating an 'objet d'art' out of her face. She is not necessarily remarked because she is Catherine, rather she is noticed for her semblance to the statue.

Although their meeting with Catherine is described by the narrator as the beginning of a dream, Truffaut clues us into the change in dynamics in the relationship between Jules and Jim. Shown together receiving messages at the gym (masculine space), the two men are placed symmetrically on the opposite sides of the screen, but unlike the chess match, they are no longer facing one another. In this scene, we learn that for the last month, Jules has spent everyday with Catherine and thus apart from Jim. Their inseparable relationship has quickly taken a new shape as Catherine's presence has created an exclusivity from Jim. During this meeting, Jules invites Jim to spend the afternoon with him and Catherine. In the next sequence, Jules and Jim ascend the stairs to Catherine's apartment. Jules exposes a sort of insecurity as he warns Jim, "not this one." Truffaut even includes a subtitle at this moment; and in small, but bold letters the words "pas celle-là!" appear across the screen. We are thus aware of the fact that unlike other women, this one cannot be shared between them. As the two men enter into the bedroom, Catherine meets the them at the door. Exposing her lack of reserve, she immediately whisks behind her changing screen. Truffaut films her legs through the crack of the screen, allowing us to witness her outfit change in front of both Jules and Jim. When Catherine exits the screen, Jim -- hardly knowing Catherine-- approaches her, draws a mustache on her face and lights a cigar for her (can we call this flirting?). Perhaps we can say that Catherine's physical transformation into a masculine figure already represents certain aspects of her personality. Unlike the statue, Catherine is completely animated and is able to "play" different parts. Her desire to present herself as a man in front of both Jules and Jim is an attempt to wear the pants so to speak, and thus demonstrate her dominant character, and general unwillingness to follow the expectations of her time.

As the threesome move outside the space of her room, Catherine leads Jules and Jim onto a bridge and proposes that they begin to race. Initially, the three characters are shown with their backs to the camera, with Catherine symbolically in the center between the two men. As the camera moves to the front of the racers placed in starting position, Jules begins to countdown. Quickly after Jules utters "one," Catherine’s suddenly darts ahead of the two men. Catherine running towards us, has created a space in which she is ahead of the two men, who are an equal distance behind her. The shot of Catherine's body is accompanied by the intimate sounds of all of their breathing, and the up and down patter of their feet. There is a sudden cut to the closeup of Catherine's profile, who though smiling, is none the less determined to beat the two men. This cut to Catherine's face demonstrates the emphasize placed on Catherine's importance in this scene, as if we are chasing her alongside Jules and Jim. Here again, Catherine's act of cheating (before she cheated her gender) seems to symbolize certain aspects about her character; does she cheat in order to become equal to her male counterparts, or does she simply desire for the two men to 'follow her'? Finally, by moving in front of the two men, she places both Jules and Jim at odds with each other, possibly insinuating that she does in fact desire the attention of both men. In any case, her cause is almost lost because in order to win she has to cheat and betray her own sex.

Eventually Catherine makes her choice and decides to marry Jules. Truffault demonstrates the transition between their bohemian lifestyle and their entrance into adulthood (a violent rupture) by including World War I as a transitional device. Jules and Jim, fighting on opposite sides, have now become a threat to one another. After the end of the war, Jim decides to visit Catherine and Jules in their cabin in Austria. Yet along with the passage of time, Jules and Jim have noticeably changed. During their reunion we are given certain facts which symbolize their evolving identities, such as the fact that Jules no longer smokes, while Jim still does. Jules takes a drink; Jim does not. Jules has a new interest in biology; whereas Jim is disinterested by the subject. And finally, perhaps the greatest difference between the two men is the fact that Jules now has a wife and daughter, whereas Jim has remained unsettled. Although Jules and Catherine seems to possess all of the outward manifestations of a happy marriage, their troubled marriage comes to light as we learn from Jules that Catherine has a habit of disappearing for unpredictable periods of time. Thus despite being kept in a quiet cabin in the woods away from Paris, Catherine remains unpredictable and resistant to accept the traditional role of wife or mother.

Perhaps the ultimate demonstration of their unsuccessful marriage begins when Jules, Jim, and Catherine decide to take a drink in the living room. Initially Jules and Jim are alone in the room discussing the war. Catherine enters the room interrupting their conversation, and reminds the two men that women had to make sacrifices during the war as well, such as cutting their hair in order to work in the factories (symbolically shedding their femininity). In this scene, the camera is facing the characters such that there is literally a triangle effect created in the frame. Catherine, the top of the triangle, is shot head-on, while Jules and Jim are in profile across from one another and positioned closer to the camera. As Jules pours Jim a glass of beer, he declares that Jim must begin to appreciate German bear. Catherine interjects stating Jim is "like me," because as Barthes has exposed, there is something inherently French about enjoying wine. Jules is excluded from this myth. Catherine begins quickly and rather loudly listing the varieties of French wine. As her speed increases, her passion to disprove Jules is starkly contrasted by his own passive demeanor as he choses to ignore her, rock in his chair nervously rubbing his hands, and softly speak to Jim. Catherine realizing she is indeed being ignored, runs to the door, turns towards Jim, and whispers "catch me." Without a second's hesition, Jim 'follows her' out the door. Perhaps Jim has betrayed Jules in this moment, yet Jules does not chase after neither Jim nor Catherine.

On their second promenade (again excluding Jules), Jim finally succombs to his passion for Catherine and kisses her on the neck. As he admits his growing admiration for Catherine, he counters his confession by claiming "I'm afraid I'll forget Jules," practically admitting Catherine's power to create an imbalance in their friendship. Jules interrupts their intimacy by speaking a phrase in German. The camera quickly moves towards the staircase, where Jules is shown standing above both Jim and Jules and looking down upon them. The slow zoom towards towards him creates a closer intimacy as he recites the lines, "Hearts yearning for each other, O god, O god the pain they case." This is the first moment that Jules has spoken German during the film, thus he appears to alienate himself from the couple, but also display an element of his own culture. Instead of attempting to separate the two lovers, Jules quickly states "give my regards to the others if you see them." This phrase indicates his acceptance if the two were to elope to Paris. Perhaps Jules allows Catherine to do anything she pleases, accepting her selfish nature, in order to never fully lose her. Or perhaps, he know that she will always come back to him when her other lovers grow tired of her nature (the "highs and lows").

Jules predicts correctly because by the end of the film, Jim has come to realize that his passion for Catherine has dwindled, and their relationship is impossible to sustain. After Jim and Catherine have decided to separate, Jim returns to Paris. It is not until a certain period of time that Jules and Jim run into each other on the streets. The two intimately embrace each other, without any sense of bitterness. In the very next scene, the two men are shown in the cafe, playing dominos with one another and thus re-trapping their old habits. Face-à-face the two men have re-established their initial bond. As Jim begins to frequent Jules and Catherine, Catherine again attempts to reunite with Jim. Finally having conquered his desire, Jim rejects any future with Catherine. Catherine refuses his rupture and tries to takes total control of the situation by attempting to shoot him. From this point on, Catherine's passion has turned into a violent, and perhaps dangerous expression.

In a chance encounter between Jim, Jules, and Catherine at the cinema, we learn from the narrator that Jim is happy to prove to Jules that he no longer desires Catherine. We also learn that Catherine does not wish to leave the two men alone, and 'taking control' she proposes a drive. As with the gun, Catherine turns to a machine to settle the situation. Truffaut films Catherine whisking through the forest, desperate to show off her risky driving. When the threesome stop to sit by the Seine, the camera placed behind Catherine, shows us her back, whereas Jules and Jim, sitting next to each other are shown head on. This positioning is the exact opposite positioning of their first encounter at Jules's dinner party, where Catherine was shot head on, and the two men had their back towards the camera. Thus, the center of the screen is no longer encompassed with Catherine's aura, rather that of Jules and Jim. Catherine, perhaps aware that she is no longer 'the center' of attention, rises from the table and exits the screen. The camera zooms into Jules and Jim who are shot head on, in a medium shot, and it is implied that they are staring at Catherine. Perhaps only in leaving the two men, Catherine is able to draw attention to herself and excite their interest. Calling upon Jim to join her for a private conversation in the car, she hollers to Jules that he must watch them carefully. Here again, Catherine is attempting to exclude the two men from one another. As Jim and Catherine are shown driving in the car from a profile shot, the camera cuts to Jules who is watching, then back to the car this time head on, and finally to the inside of the car, and we see Catherine's face turn towards the camera smiling (as she was during the first race on the bridge). The ominous music beings, slow and repetitive perhaps highlighting a sort of suspense, as if we are waiting for something to happen and change the repeating chords. Finally, the camera cuts to a long shot of the car beginning to enter the bridge. Panning out, we finally see that this bridge has no middle section, and it is divided into two parts. A quick cut to Jules who stands, back to Catherine's face inside the car still grinning, and finally a shot of Jim's reflexion in the mirror, shocks the public who is unaware of the spontaneous death demised by Catherine. Cut... the car shot head on, falls slowly into the water. Like the separated bridge, Jules and Jim will now be physically separated by his death... and Catherine will forever be desired by Jules, who will "follows her" with the utmost loyalty.

To conclude, we can ask ourselves, does Catherine again cheat (this time cheat death) in order to obtain victory? Again finding herself on the bridge, she races ahead, leaving Jules behind and taking Jim down with her, establishing her presence in anyway possible. Therefore she seems like the villain. Yet, we can also ponder upon Catherine's own tragic dilemma in the film. Throughout, Catherine has played off of the reverence she has received, after all we must remember that Catherine was first remarked for her resemblance to a statue. In death, will she not become immortalized like the statue on the island? Perhaps we can compare this film to Manet's painting "Luncheon on the Grass," where the muse sitting naked between the two men, is shown gazing "towards" her audience. While her beauty stands out to us, one can not help but wonder if her gaze is one of contentment or one of sorrow.