User Reviews

This is Antoine Doinel's goodbye to all of us who followed his life and experiences through 20 years, from "The 400 Blows", "Antoine &t Colette", "Stolen Kisses" to "Bed & Board" and finally here in "Love on the Run"; from his problems at school to his life as a working man, married man, later divorced, reader, writer, lover, soldier, florist, private detective and more; in short a full life. Truffaut's alter ego (always played by the amazing Jean-Pierre Léaud) takes us through many moments of his life in the previous films while trying to correct few things in the present with his latest girl, Sabine (Dorothée).

Here, all the women of Doinel's life appears together and now he has a chance to figure out why his relationships simply doesn't work. Recently divorced of Christine (Claude Jade), and involved with no good terms with Sabine, Doinel meets again Colette (Marie-France Pisier), his first love and they share some secrets, remember some moments when they two met for the first time, and both characters discover more things about each other, about life and about love.

At the trivia section is mentioned that Truffaut thought about making a huge mistake while filming this sequel, and I think he shouldn't be ashamed of it. It isn't much of a film since half of it it's flashbacks taken from all of Doinel's films plus a few moments of "Le Nuit Americaine" included as an interesting subplot of Doinel's romantic affairs (even though he plays a different character in that film). Compared to the other movies of the series this is less comical, a little bit too serious and it's more focused on how the kid that seems to never grow finally realizes what love really is than his amusing and funny life experiences as a working man.

But seeing all the flashbacks, those memorable moments covering 20 years of a person is breathtaking, refreshing, unique in all motion picture history. We can look back and see how much Antoine/Léaud changed through these years and some of us practically saw him growing up and I bet Truffaut must have loved this experience, seeing someone he could relate with and share some of his own experiences and see them portrayed on screen. One of the most touching moments of "Love on the Run" is the reunion between Doinel and the lover of his mother, whom he haven't seen in years, and the way they talk about the past, we see scenes from "The 400 Blows" when Doinel was a kid and saw him with his mother, and he hated the guy for it, then few years later they are happy to see each other, a bond between Doinel's troubled life and his life while a grown up man.

Most of the reviews on this classic are very superficial here. "Love on the Run" is a memorable, delightful and magic experience through great moments of one of the most interesting, inspiring and charming characters of all time, and this is his goodbye to us, always striving, always fighting, always believing in something and always managing to get what he wants even though we as audience might think he'll be lost forever. Doinel echoes a part of us that never should die: our youth. 10/10

Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud) is having a love affair with the vinyl seller Colette Tazzi (Marie-France Pisier). After five years of a troubled marriage with separations, Antoine and Christine Doinel (Claude Jade) have a private audience with the judge (Marie Henriau) and conclude an amicable divorce process. His former sweetheart and presently lawyer Colette Tazzi (Marie-France Pisier) sees Antoine leaving the court and she goes to a bookstore to buy his autobiographical novel that was published a couple of years ago. When Antoine goes with Alphonse (Julien Dubois) to the train station for the travel vacation of his son, he sees Colette in another train and he jumps from the platform to the train and travels with her. They recall their adolescent love and disclose their sentimental relationships; but when Colette tells how she raises money for her self-support, Antoine is disappointed and seeks out Sabine.

"L'Amour en Fuite" is the conclusion of the sentimental saga of the character Antoine Doinel, the insecure alter ego of François Truffaut that began in "Les Quatre Cents Coups" and followed through "L'Amour à Vingt Ans", "Baisers Volés" and "Domicile Conjugal", inclusive with the use of scenes in the many flashbacks of these movies with his recollections and troubled love affairs. This character has an evolution from the needy fourteen years old boy rejected by his mother and his stepfather in the first movie. The lack of affection at home makes him a rebel, bad student, liar, reckless and a thief stealing objects and money at home in his adolescence. In the next movies, he grows-up, but with a fragile emotional structure and the viewer sees an unstable man incapable of having a steady relationship or commitment with the many beautiful women that he meets along his futile life. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "O Amor em Fuga" ("The Love on the Run")

This is the final film about the character, Antoine Doinel. He first appeared in The 400 Blows and you see him in 5 Truffaut films over the years. You see him grow from an emotionally neglected little punk in the first film and by the fifth, he is a Woody Allen-like little guy who has had a long series of troubled relationships that he ultimately sabotaged due to his discomfort with emotional commitment. He has a great time falling in love but soon strays or otherwise causes the relationships to sour.

The plot and emotional growth of the character is excellent. So why only a 7 for this film? Well, much of the film is simply cut and pasted from the previous Antoine Doinel films. This gave it a certain cheap look. Plus, what I really found inexplicable was that Truffaut used clips from Jean-Pierre Léaud films that were NOT about Doinel but pretended the clips were about him. In addition, clips from some Doinel films were shown but the entire scene is re-dubbed or explained in a way in which the scene did NOT appear in the original film. A good example is a clip from Stolen Kisses. The narrator says he (Doinel) was unlucky in love and followed attractive women because he'd become infatuated with them. However, this scene was actually of Doinel following a lady because he was a private detective in this film--this was NOT someone he was infatuated with. Those who remember this movie well will be shocked at how easy it is to spot this obvious change. Finally, for some odd reason, one of the clips from Stolen Kisses is shown in black and white, while all the others from the movie are in color. It just didn't make sense why this occurred.

These inconsistencies are not great film-making. Decent film-making, maybe. For a better Truffaut film, try watching The Bride Wore Black (my personal favorite) or Wild Child or The Story of Adele H.

Seeking a sure-fire money maker after a commercial failure, Francois Truffaut reunited with his mascot, Antoine Doinel to help him move past some of the recent negativity he had experienced in his career.

Banking on a fast shoot, only a 28-day filming schedule, Francois Truffaut imagined that a final collaboration with Jean-Pierre Léaud, as his character Antoine Doinel, would perfectly illustrate the "mosaic of life." Truffaut went into Love on the Run needing to make money for his production company after suffering a financial loss with his much later appreciated masterpiece, The Green Room. There were a number of other projects dear to Truffaut's heart that he had wanted to pursue at the time, but as a means to save his company, he put his energy into a previously unplanned Antoine Doinel finale. Truffaut was never happy with the script of Love on the Run, hating it from its earliest conception. Despite his attempts to pivot his energy, he was not happy with being in the situation, feeling forced to take the project on. Love on the Run was a commercial success, but Truffaut was never happy with it. Still, Truffaut was emotionally connected to Antoine Doinel and saddened to say goodbye to the character that launched his career.

After five years of separation and reconciliation, Antoine (Jean-Pierre Léaud) and Christine (Claude Jade) have finally decided to divorce. They have reached the decision amicably, and are committed to maintaining a healthy relationship post-divorce. Upon leaving the courtroom, Antoine is seen by his former flame, Colette, (Marie-France Pisier) who now works as a lawyer. Intrigued by her chance glance at Antoine, Colette picks up a copy of his autobiography interested to see what has become of the young man that so desperately chased her heart years before. Antoine has been having a casual relationship with a record store clerk, Sabine Barnerias (Dorothée) contemplating whether or not to become more serious in his intentions with her. Sabine, deeply in love and committed to Antoine was put off by his neutral stance in their relationship and informs him that she may be interested in dating other people. Never one to appreciate being backed into a corner, Antoine leaves Sabine's in an unhappy hurry to pick up his son. While taking Alphonse to the train station to send him off for the summer, Antoine sees Colette and jumps onto the platform eager to be reunited with her. The two have a nice time reminiscing about their adolescent love and telling each other about the relationships they have had since they last saw each other. Finding himself in another dilemma in love, Antoine must decide between pursuing a relationship with one of the women, or remaining alone and focusing on career and fatherhood.

The Adventures of Antoine Doinel, the five-film collection depicting a version of Truffaut, was written by him and inspired by events in his life, making them a personal and deeply affecting anthology. Truffaut's willingness to inject so much of himself into each of his films, but especially those in the Antoine Doinel series, make them endlessly thought-provoking. Driven by Truffaut and his life, the films communicate so well with audiences, in no small part, thanks to the expert casting of Jean-Pierre Léaud. His playful yet searching disposition lent itself well to the perpetually unsatisfied Antoine Doinel. The part of Antoine needed to be brought to life by someone who could embody a boyish charm with immeasurable charisma, and Truffaut found exactly that combination in Jean-Pierre Léaud. Along with the exceptional casting, Truffaut's particular film style created an engaging an extraordinarily fun time with the character closest to his heart. Love on the Run is filled with flashbacks reminding the audience of Antoine's progression and highlighting the ups and downs with the loves of his life. The intercutting of Truffaut's previous films in the series was a brilliant device to use for an anthology wherein many years passed between one film and the next. Many have criticised Love on the Run due to its reliance on flashbacks, but I can't imagine a better way to understand Antoine's growth and development as a person. Seeing the scenes from his troubled relationship with love and his searching for a family and acceptance allows the audience to best understand Antoine as a person. I suppose ones ultimate opinion on Love on the Run will likely depend on how you feel about the number of flashbacks used in the film, for me, they work perfectly and Truffaut works them in perfectly. Not a single scene feels out of place or unnecessary, again proving Truffaut's exceptional intuition as a filmmaker. Even in 1979, long after Truffaut was first accused of abandoning the movement he ushered in and giving up on doing anything different within the medium of cinema, he affirmed he was not done taking chances. His confidence boosted by talking to Colette, Antoine shares with her the premise of his next book, a novel that was inspired by an episode he witnessed while waiting outside of a phone booth. The scene takes place with Antoine and Colette on the train and shows him reminiscing about the incident he saw wherein an angry man ripped apart a photo while yelling at someone on the phone. As Antoine tells the story, the version of himself in the flashback suddenly becomes cognizant that he is in a flashback, and he addresses the camera by brilliantly breaking the fourth wall. The scene is playful, in line with Antoine's character, and done in an experimental way to engage the audience and show that Truffaut had not strayed from his early intentions in filmmaking. That phone booth scene is such a perfectly quirky scene it is my favorite in an already stellar feature.

Forever the humanist, Francois Truffaut beautifully explored love and what it's like to finally accept the end of once-nurtured devotion. Complicated mixed feelings emerge anytime people go through a divorce, especially when they have put so many years into a hopeful reconciliation. Antoine and Christine share a child together and the memories of their life together before their son were born and their elation at bringing him into the world plays into their emotional state, as well. Truffaut takes us, using flashbacks, through the depths of their most committed love, the pain and heartbreak of betrayal, and their eventual decision to leave each other. Just as in Ingmar Bergman's Scenes from a Marriage, Antoine and Christine can't stay hateful or bitter to the other, despite the unfaithfulness that took place. It is clear that the couple has a genuine love for each other that will not be distinguished by divorce. They have a palpable affection, and will always be invested in the best interest of the other. In addition to his humanism, another aspect of Francois Truffaut's filmmaking that I appreciate are the autobiographical elements in each of his films. There is a moment where Antoine confesses that many don't think of him as a true writer because he has only written about experiences from his own life. He goes on to admit that he has faced criticism that suggests he is only capable of drawing from personal experiences in a transparent and conscious way. This seems to be Truffaut addressing those that had attacked him in a similar way for the personal elements found in his own art. Much to the contrary, however, those that so freely open the personal wounds from their own life to the criticisms of the masses are connected to their art in a much deeper way because it is in the truest sense a part of them. Truffaut's commitment to the cinema cannot be questioned and his personal approach in developing a relationship with filmmaking only gives his films a deeper resonance. It's impossible to tire of the individual films provided by Francois Truffaut, I only regret that there are not more to see.

Love on the Run (1979), the closing chapter in François Truffaut's celebrated series of films focusing on the character of Antoine Doinel; a near-iconic figure in French cinema brought vividly to life by the always great Jean-Pierre Léaud. Here, the actors injects the part with his usual nervous charm and cocky likability, though it is clear that character of Antoine is , still as uncertain about life, love and fidelity as ever before. On a Structural level, the film is built around Antoine's divorce from his wife Christine - with the reappearance of Claude Jade from Stolen Kisses (1968) and Bed and Board (1970) - inter-cut with flashbacks to early escapades from Antoine's presented in the style of a clip show.

This particular stylistic device does set up a sense of familiarity for new viewers, however; with such a slight plot, the flashbacks end up becoming the most interesting part of the movie, with what little new footage there is so repetitive that it feels like you're watching the same scene over and over again. In fact, the film is so hastily put together that it looks like Truffaut is desperate to get the series finished and out of the way, so that he can finally move on with the more progressive work that he was attempting with films like The Green Room (1979) and The Last Metro (1980).

Still, the film can sometimes be charming and the actors are all on fine form, but the whole thing seems lacking somewhat; with the use of repeated imagery and scenes cut and pasted from the previous films making this feel too much like a retread rather than a radical re-interpretation. For me, the film just seems empty, deflated and somehow lacking the allure, beauty and sophistication that was always synonymous with Truffaut's work or at least the films of his that I am familiar with. For me, Love on the Run was something of a slight, disappointing and unimaginative film that failed to inspire me in the way I had initially hoped.

By finding an opportunity to firmly end his cycle of films about Antoine Doinel, Francois Truffaut gave himself a great advantage by permitting this film to go to any lengths necessary as long as it concludes the series, which has essentially been represented as a number of chapters portraying the lives of one unusual Parisian man.

In The 400 Blows, Antoine struggled with finding his place in the world as an adolescent and the relationship with his parents. In Antoine and Colette he found the pitfalls associated with love, a trend that would continue in Stolen Kisses and Bed and Board. Love on the Run is brilliantly done in the way that it incorporates all of these details via flashbacks and sequences designed to remind the audience of characters seen in previous films. Truffaut carefully edits these scenes in such a way as to appear as nostalgic memories as well as to aid along the audience in understanding the reasons and consequences of these characters' actions.

Once again, this story focuses mainly on Antoine's ability (or inability) to have a relationship with a woman only for nearly everything to go wrong. Truffaut wisely brought back the two most important women to Antoine, his wife of 5 years Christine and his first great love from his teen years Colette. Scenes between the two women are particularly well-done as we get a glimpse into some real soul-searching for this complex character. Antoine also has a new woman in his life, the charming and bubbly Sabine who plays a most important role in this story that also manages to include subplots involving Antoine's relationship to his parents and a bit of detective work reminiscent of that beautiful film, Stolen Kisses. Clearly, this entire series is one of the best in cinema history. By focusing on one man and all the adventures and problems he must face, Truffaut has created some of the most realistic and indelible fictional characters in all of art. In some ways, these people are more real than the ones we know for they combine knowledge, understanding and wisdom learned in the past as well as hope and courage for the future. All great things must come to an end and this ending is as perfect as films get: funny, poignant and so warm and tender. To understand why Truffaut was such a special artist, look no further than these five chapters depicting the life of Antoine Doinel.

Antoine Doinel ends his marital existence by divorcing his wife Christine.By chance,he meets all the significant people who helped him to shape his destiny.These encounters guide him to revive a number of bygone events.He is able to find happiness again by falling in love with Sabine.Although dubbed maudlin by certain inconsiderate critics,L'Amour en fuite remains a light romantic work filled with hilarity and empathy. This last film in the Antoine Doinel series is a fantastic trip down memory lane for Truffaut and Antoine Doinel fans.Truffaut's alter ego Antoine Doinel is a veritable emotional wreck as he needs all kinds of women for support.Antoine's past is inextricably linked to his present.All these women have positively been a part of Truffaut's life too.They know each other well and plot Antoine's downfall.Truffaut has made competent use of flashbacks to evoke memories of the past. Scenes of the past make one feel like watching two different films at the same time.Everyone feels that Antoine did not try his best to save his marriage.Viewers' sympathies will always be with Antoine as despite his faults,he is a charming guy.Truffaut has ably shown how important it is to love and be loved.

True, there are a bit too much flash back in the film (with some lengthy ones,too), but after the previous four Antoine Doinel films, this last installment brings so much sentiment and feeling that is quite unique and unmatched in any other films. Whether Antoine's life will change or not, nobody can tell. The important thing is, he has to face the reality this time. He's no longer young, plus he's a divorced father and struggling writer (what a combination!). Yet as all the people around him changed, Antoine still has the child-like energy and belief in love. That's what makes him so attractive as a protagonist in FIVE films. Truffaut really gave us film lovers a great gift. Too bad that he died in 1984, or we might have a 6th or 7th film on Antoine Doinel!

This is the fifth and last part of Francois Truffauts Antoine Doinel cycle, a biographical movie series about the growing up of a romantic Parisian, played by Jean Pierre Leaud all the time, and all his struggles with love and life which was produced over a period of 20 years.

This last part from 1978 shows us Doinel doing what he's also doing in the previous four parts - falling in love with numerous women, trying to keep up relationships, looking for love, flirting etc. While the first part from 1959 showed us Doinel's childhood in a poor family with a hard and beating father and his longing for respect and love, the following parts are less interesting in my opinion.

The final chapter is rather superfluous, with jokes falling flat, no real script, no suspense or a really interesting story line, and the actors are just running around most of the time. If you have watched the previous Doinel films it might be interesting to see this sequel (which is not really an end), but I suggest you to watch the first Doinel movie "Les 400 coups" ("The 400 Blows") instead, or Truffauts "L'homme qui l'amait les femmes" ("The Man Who Loved Women"), a far more interesting study on love, obsession and fetishism.

The use of flashbacks from previous films in the Antoine Doinel series could have been a strength, serving as connective tissue and helping to link the feeling of sifting through memories of the past and trying to come to terms with them. Instead, it's so overdone that it becomes a weakness. This film looked in the rear-view mirror so much that it forgot to tell a compelling story of its own, and ended up a muddled mess. After the divorce at the beginning, Doinel bounces between his current lover and an old flame who he spots on a train and impetuously pursues, but nothing terribly interesting comes of it (or of the odd encounter with his mother's lover). There is not a sense of defining vision that's present in the script, and it all seems rather thrown together, hoping something will stick. Definitely one for fans of the series only; for me, the highlight was Dorothée.

The problem with sequels is that they usually don't have the same impact as the original (can anybody tell me that ANY of the "Indiana Jones" movies after "Raiders" was worth a darn?). Truffaut took a big chance with the Antoine Doniel character and made 5 movies with Leaud playing him in all of them....instead of losing my interest, I found each installment compelling and wonderful in their own little ways...."Love On The Run", the final installment of the series, shows us a much older Antoine who's still confused as to what exactly love is....unlike "The 400 Blows", the impact can't be likened to a punch to the jaw, but is more subtle and infectious. Truffaut's ode to love, to Jean-Pierre Leaud, and to Antoine Doniel, does this cinematic sleight of hand with flashbacks to the other 4 movies, with re-introducing a lot of the characters (his ex-wife, Collette, and even the man he caught kissing his mom in the first movie), and paints a more complete picture of a man who finally stops running (no pun intended) from his wretched childhood, and who finally learns that love requires trust and sacrifice....a magnificent last chapter to one of cinema's most beloved characters. You might not realize it while watching it, but you'll still be seeing scenes from the movie running in your head for days afterwards.....

The spontaneous character Antoine Doinel, continues his journey through his show and tell, divorced from Christine, shacked up with Sabine, pursues long past fancies, but things don't quite gel.

We continue to observe the trials and tribulations that life presents to the often frustrated Antoine, with multiple flashbacks to previous presentations forming a significant part of the piece, you really need to be a fan of the series in order to appreciate the journey, the saga, the voyage, of the boy become man but still a boy. There's a good chance you can pick out numerous events that may align with your own passage, or from someone you know, which may escalate your appreciation. While an enjoyable piece, it does seem to have run its course, and left with more of a whimper than a whoop.

Having seen many striking films by this director, one comes with some anticipation. While this film moves along, showing the unsettled nature of its protagonist, it never reaches any great emotional peak. I'm not versed in all of the incarnations of Doinel, but he is a bit unsettled for me. His being seems particularly shallow in this one with a conclusion that really leaves me in sort of a blah state. I guess, ultimately, I just don't care much about him. Not a bad film, but a little bump on the road.

I always find it hard to watch a french movie from the eighties -I am french though, and a real patriot, be sure of that- because it feels like I'm trapped in my childhood or something and I will have to go to school or..whatever. It is always painful. For instance, the girl playing 'SAbine' in L'Amour en fuite is 'Dorothée', a T.V. figure from when I was seven or so. She was awful, supposedly very mean to children -but her show was devoted to them, weird, uh?- and a lesbian. But let's go back to Truffaut's movie: I am a big fan of Jean-Pierre Léaud, and in this movie his character Antoine Doisnel is still the same selfish, ridiculously precious little dandy. But I still love him ! It is very funny that in the end he goes back to something that looked a lot -to me- like a sub- La Maman et la Putain (from Eustache). Torn apart between several lost loves and one that is young and not tragic... What will Antoine do? Flee, as usual? You will have to see the movie I guess ! At least for Souchon's cool interpretation of the song he composed for the movie. What a smart guy ! Now he can sell tons of records.

Flashbacks are one thing, a narrative device that be useful to elucidate story beats or character moments, or to dress up a story that is otherwise unsophisticated and linear. The clip show is something else entirely, a tactic used in television to fill air time with recollections of past episodes when cast availability, writer's block, budget concerns, or other issues inhibit production of an entire brand new episode with an entirely original plot. I hardly mean to impugn master filmmaker Francois Truffaut, who unquestionably proved himself time and again throughout his career, nor the writers who collaborated with him for this picture. There is most certainly a story in 'L'amour en fuite,' or 'Love on the run,' that's a creation all its own distinct from previous entries in the loose saga of Antoine Doinel. However, this also makes use of frequent cuts to scenes from 'The 400 blows,' 'Antoine and Colette,' 'Stolen kisses,' and 'Bed and board,' prior material that accounts for a fair portion of the runtime in this 1979 feature. There's nothing inherently wrong with this by any means, though as a matter of personal preference I'd have wished for a more purely fresh tale, rounding out Doinel's saga, rather than one that so emphatically recycled previous footage.

Even with that tack in mind, however, this remains another solid credit to Truffaut, to star Jean-Pierre Léaud, and all others involved. In fact, I'm of the mind that the film-making and storytelling here is maybe even more engaging and compelling than what 'Stolen kisses' could claim, enjoyable but unremarkable as it was. I don't agree with all the choices made in this instance, yet I don't think there's much arguing against the skill and intelligence that shaped the whole. While the presentation is chopped up a bit as we see it, the screenplay is nevertheless splendid, with real, relatable, complicated, and interesting characters; the scene writing and overall narrative is varied and ably keeps one's attention. For that matter, there are some moments scattered throughout that are downright brilliant, like an underhanded reference in dialogue to one of those preceding features, a scene between two supporting characters in the last third, or a scene partway through that is cleverly echoed near the end. I very much appreciate Martine Barraqué-Curie's shrewd editing, if not always the ends to which it's employed, though at least the clips are mostly used in ways that feel meaningful instead of just padding out the length.

Léaud, and co-stars including Claude Jade, Marie-France Pisier, and Dorothée, are unfailingly charming, just as the title overall is decidedly endearing. All those behind the scenes turned in fine work, from production design and art direction to costume design, hair, and makeup. And as if there could ever be any doubt, Truffaut's direction is impeccable; to date I can't yet claim to have seen all his films, but I'm not sure that there are many filmmakers who are as reliable as Truffaut was. The end result of all this is a picture that reaffirms the man's reputation as both filmmaker and storyteller, even if this doesn't 100% meet the same exact level of quality as some of his others. In some measure the construction of 'L'amour en fuite' does come off as self-indulgent, though I'd plainly be lying if I said that when all is said and done the approach feels smarter than not. I'm not inclined to say that this is a must-see in the same way that some of its kin are, but whether one is a major fan of Truffaut or others involved, wishing to round out the Doinel saga, or just looking for something good to watch, it's handily worthwhile on its own merits. Don't necessarily go out of your way for this, but it deserves a look if you have the chance.

The last and least good of the Antoine Doinel quartet. And just in case you are in any doubt as to that ranking Truffaut thoughtfully provides clips of the previous three to seal the deal.

The finest parts of "Love on the Run" are the inserted clips of the original Antoine Doinel film "Les Quatre Cent Coups", rather self-defeating in a way as they only serve to show up the shallowness of the film we are watching. Truffaut's decision to follow "Les Quatre Cent Coups" with a series of four sequels was one of the most misguided by a great director as they are undoubtedly his weakest works. They are supposedly semi-autobiographical with Antoine Doinel Truffaut's alter ego. He obviously had a great affection for the young Jean-Pierre Leaud's portrayal of the boy Antoine in what remains one of cinema's finest depictions of the precariousness of growing up, so one can understand Truffaut's reluctance to leave it at that. The unfortunate thing about the films that follow is that with each one the actor, through no fault of his own (simply the process of growing up into a not particularly attractive looking young adult) becomes increasingly more charmless. That he still had a little by the time he appeared in "Bed and Board", the fourth of the series, we are reminded of in a delightful clip of a scene where he plays a trick on his wife by reading a newspaper item where one word change alters the meaning from the respectable to the salacious. But unfortunately by the time we reach "Love on the Run" some eight years later Leaud had lost it. Nor is he aided by material that has become increasingly more trite. Bill Forsythe made exactly the same mistake with "Gregory's Second Girl", but sadder here to see a much greater director falling into the trap. At least we can be thankful that we have been spared sequels to "Bicycle Thieves", "The Fallen Idol" and "Fanny and Alexander" so that our memories of those wonderful studies of childhood can remain untarnished.

I finally saw the final installation of Truffaut's film quintet about Antoine Doinel. Love on the Run is the fifth and final edition. It's a kick and a nice note to end on. The films of the Doinel quintet are: The 400 Blows Antoine and Colette (Love at 20) Stolen Kisses Bed and Board Love on the Run

Looking back over the series, it seems Jean-Pierre Léaud developed the more comedic side of Doinel as Léaud matured with the role. But throughout the series, the humor of Léaud's Doinel both emanates from and covers difficult internal struggles, not the least of which are struggles over identity, personal responsibility, and authentic romantic relationships.

60s-reference alert! In a scene in a Parisian bookstore a lady barrister tracking Doinel picks up books randomly and pretends to read them. One of the books she picks up is R.D. Laing's Do You Love Me? An Entertainment in Conversation and Verse (Est-ce que tu m'aimes? On Truffaut's screen.) Remember the Knotty R.D. Laing?

In The Divided Self (1960), Laing contrasted the experience of the "ontologically secure" person with that of a person who "cannot take the realness, aliveness, autonomy and identity of himself and others for granted" and who consequently contrives strategies to avoid "losing his self." (From the Wikipedia article about R.D. Laing)

Wikipedia taught me also that Laing's idea of schizophrenia was based, at least partly, on Gregory Bateson's double-bind hypothesis. The cameo appearance of Laing's Do You Love Me in Love on the Run provides almost a bibliographical footnote to Doinel's life story.

R.D. Laing and Gregory Bateson: that's a couple of names marking an era. I gotta pick up some R.D. Laing.

Love on the Run contains flashbacks spanning the whole series of films. These serve to remind us of key moments that shaped Doinel, all the way back to his youth as a self-made hoodlum in The 400 Blows. But now those flashed-back memories are re-contextualized from the point of view of the older Doinel at the end of the series. Love on the Run takes full advantage of its hindsight to show us how a woman who catches up with Doinel in his later life reacts to the autobiographical book Doinel had published by the end of the third film about his earlier life. Very meta. Love on the Run is Inception-y without all the snow.

Yes, it's bad enough when a sitcom does a clip show, let alone Truffaut, and their presence is intrusive as often as wistful. But it's not inapt: by the end, it's easier to imagine that when a storyteller as shamelessly personal as Truffaut has been at it so long, reflecting on their life and their movies are the same. A beguiling meta knot. I wonder if its flaws are wishful thinking-and if that makes it better.

For reference, these are my ratings for the previous movies of Truffaut pentalogy :

THE 400 BLOWS : 6,3/10.

Antoine et Colette: 7,2/10.

Baisers volés : 7,1/10.

Domicile conjugal : 6,2/10.

LOVE ON THE RUN is the fifth and last entry of "Antoine Doinel's" pentalogy. It's somewhat satisfying for an epilogue, i mean, i was not impressed by the character development but still, one can say this journey was interesting. There were some intriguing moments here but overall, it fell a bit flat. I liked the flashbacks, there is a sense of continuity, Colette's reappearance was delightful. Truffaut gives us a closure. I am gonna watch for sure some other movies of his but to be honest, from what i've watched until now, he is getting more praise than he deserves.

Almost an hour of flashbacks fill the time, while the main story has little drive or point.

"The final installment in the Antoine-series" it said on the video box. I wondered if it would be such a good idea to rent the last part first (the first wasn't there) and then I decided there was only one way to find out. L'amour en fuite promises to be one of the worst films ever when you begin watching it. It looks like boring talky French cinema, a loudmouthed movie with nothing to say. The movie isn't helped by the appearance of Dorothée, the French equivalent to Barney (both are pink and annoying). After five minutes her character goes her own way and we only meet her again after quite a while. By that time Dorothée remembered it might not be such a bad idea after all to act when you're in a movie. Those attempts make her character more bearable and save the movie from eternal doom.

So let's all be grateful L'amour en fuite doesn't follow Sabine (Dorothée), but Antoine (played by Jean-Pierre Léaud). Though most people think of the bulky mass formerly known as Gérard Depardieu when they think of a French actor, I'd think of Léaud. Either he's in 500 movies, or I've just seen a lot of them. In L'amour en fuite we follow Antoine when he and his wife divorce, when his latest girlfriend can't stand him anymore, when he meets the lover of his dead mother and when he meets his first love again. Though all this might get the impression L'amour en fuite is a typically French talky movie about l'amour, it isn't, all because of the talent of director François Truffaut. Truffaut's efforts make this movie go from dreadful over bearable to interesting. Especially the scene where Antoine's ex-wife (Claude Jade) meets his first love (Marie-France Pisier) and they talk about our protagonist shows you how talented Truffaut was. The movie can stand on its own, so it doesn't matter if you haven't seen the previous Antoine episodes. L'amour en fuite is nice, but nothing more.