Baisers Volés (Stolen Kisses) (1968)

94% of critics liked it
(16 reviews)
88% of users liked it
(5,781 ratings)

The episodic romantic comedy Stolen Kisses is the third installment in François Truffaut's Antoine Doinel series, which started with The 400 Blows in 1959. In 1968, Antoine (Jean-Pierre Léaud) is discharged from the military and comes home to Paris, getting an apartment in Montmartre with an… More The episodic romantic comedy Stolen Kisses is the third installment in François Truffaut's Antoine Doinel series, which started with The 400 Blows in 1959. In 1968, Antoine (Jean-Pierre Léaud) is discharged from the military and comes home to Paris, getting an apartment in Montmartre with an excellent view of the Sacré-Coeur. He meets up with his sweetheart, Christine Darbon (Claude Jade, making her film debut), and joins her and her parents for dinner (Daniel Ceccaldi and Claire Duhamel). With the help of Christine's father, he gets a job as a hotel clerk but quickly gets fired after he unwittingly aids a private detective (Harry Max). After running into the detective at a coffee shop, Antonie then falls into a job at the Blady Detective Agency, assisting with the investigation of a magician. He is then assigned to the case of neurotic Georges Tabard (Michel Lonsdale), and ends up working in the stock room of his shoe store. After Antoine has coffee with Tabard's beautiful and intelligent wife, Fabienne (Delphine Seyrig), she inevitably tries to seduce him. He later meets Christine in a park and proposes to her, taking the pair into the next film: Bed and Board. One of the lightest entries in the series, Stolen Kisses was ironically filmed during a turbulent political time in France. ~ Andrea LeVasseur, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 30 min.
Directed By: François Truffaut
Written By: François Truffaut, Claude de Givray
Genres: Drama, Romance, Art House & International, Comedy

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1968 Wide
On DVD: Aug 24, 1999
Studio: Lopert Pictures Corporation

Critic Reviews

Vincent Canby, New York Times
A movie so full of love that to define it may make it sound like a religious experience, which, of course, it is -- but in a wonderfully unorthodox, cockeyed way.
Jay Antani, Cinema Writer
Typically light fare from the master of French Lite
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
While Truffaut was fiddling with this trifle, the streets of Paris were burning with a student riot in May 1968.
Gabe Leibowitz, eCinemaCenter.com
A poignant portrait of sop-free love.
James Kendrick, Q Network Film Desk
Despite some of the broadness of the comedy (one of the funniest scenes being Antoine's clearly inept attempt to tail a woman on the street), the film is tempered throughout by a series of lessons Antoine learns about the nature of the adult world.
Marjorie Baumgarten, Austin Chronicle
Some regard the film as Truffaut's finest work.
John A. Nesbit, Old School Reviews
Stolen Kisses certainly has charm, and is more accessible to mainstream audiences than the previous Antoine films.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
This amusing and entertaining French film is a valentine to love and the emotions it arouses.

Read all 8 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Rubia Carolina .

After following Antoine Doinel as a young boy in Les quatre cents coups and his désamours in L'amour à vingt ans, in Baisers Volés we see the life and lovers of an "akward" young man. Then it comes the great Domicile Conjugal where Antoine and Christine are married… More
After following Antoine Doinel as a young boy in Les quatre cents coups and his désamours in L'amour à vingt ans, in Baisers Volés we see the life and lovers of an "akward" young man. Then it comes the great Domicile Conjugal where Antoine and Christine are married and where we see a kiss scene from Baiser Volés, and L'amour en fuite, the last film of this serie. You don't need to watch these films in order. Actually, it could be interesting to begin from the end and then back to the first one, to understand Antoine's life. <br> <br>
Pierluigi P

Truffaut homages Henri Langlois, Laurel and Hardy. Hitchcock and Balzac, and brings back his alter ego, Antoine Doinel. Now at the doors of adulthood, he was kicked out from the army, and struggles to find a job, first as a night porter, shoe seller, tv repairing engineer and even as… More
Truffaut homages Henri Langlois, Laurel and Hardy. Hitchcock and Balzac, and brings back his alter ego, Antoine Doinel. Now at the doors of adulthood, he was kicked out from the army, and struggles to find a job, first as a night porter, shoe seller, tv repairing engineer and even as a private eye for a detective agency. But don't get confused, this is a pleasant, charming comedy, where all the sorrow and rebelliousness of his childhood is gone for good, and now his only concern is to win the heart of the girl he likes. Nostalgic stroll through the beautiful Paris, in company of a magnificent auteur who always knew how to gather the sweetest moments of life into a film; Jean-Pierre Léaud's likeable absent-mindedness; Claude Jade's natural beauty; and Charles Trenet's sweetest ballad.
Alice S

Hilarious and romantic. Jean-Pierre Leaud IS Antoine Doinel Antoine Doinel Antoine Doinel Antoine Doinel Antoine Doinel...
Eric B

Francois Truffaut's third Antoine Doinel film has a happenstance feel of just dropping in to see what's new with our boy. He's freshly bounced out of the military, and is casually skipping from mediocre job to mediocre job without success. Meanwhile, he courts a past… More
Francois Truffaut's third Antoine Doinel film has a happenstance feel of just dropping in to see what's new with our boy. He's freshly bounced out of the military, and is casually skipping from mediocre job to mediocre job without success. Meanwhile, he courts a past girlfriend, the stunningly photogenic Claude Jade. The light, episodic story doesn't have much of a point, and this frustrated me for awhile. But eventually, the film's romantic charm won me over. There are some surprisingly funny moments, and the gentle resolution surely influenced Woody Allen.
Emily B

The third in Traffaut's semi-autobiographical series following the life of Antoine Dionel. The first time the character hit the screens was in the 1959 masterpiece The 400 Blows. Stolen Kisses sees Antoine now as a young man and follows him in his journey into adulthood. This… More
The third in Traffaut's semi-autobiographical series following the life of Antoine Dionel. The first time the character hit the screens was in the 1959 masterpiece The 400 Blows. Stolen Kisses sees Antoine now as a young man and follows him in his journey into adulthood. This does not compare to The...(read more) 400 Blows, but is still an entertaining and thoughtful piece of cinema. There are some lovely scenes in this film such as the breakfast scene with Antione and Christine, and also some rather comedic scenes. Overall, not as though provoking as The 400 Blows but highly watchable and entertaining.
Tom S

One of the greatest lines in cinema history: "You can hang up now. Mr. Henri is dead." That scene alone--not to mention the several other Truffaut touches throughout--are reason enough to see and treasure this film.

Read all 6 featured audience ratings

Cast

            Jean-Pierre Léaud as Antoine Doinel

            Delphine Seyrig as Fabienne

            Claude Jade as Christine

            Michel Lonsdale as Georges Tabard

            Daniel Ceccaldi as Christine's father

            Claire Duhamel as Mme. Darbon

            Jean-François Adam as Albert Tazzi

            Martine Brochard as Mme. Colin

            Robert Cambourakis as Mme. Colin's Lover

            Francois Darbon as Adjutant

            Jacques Delord as Conjurer

            André Falcon as M. Blady

            Martine Ferriere as Manager of Show Shop

            Catherine Lutz as Mme. Catherine

            Harry Max as M. Henri

            Marcel Mercier as Man at Garage

            Joseph Merieau as Man at Garage

            Paul Pavel as M. Julien

            Christine Pellé as Secretary

            Jacques Rispal as M. Cohn

            Jacques Robiolles as Water

            Serge Rousseau as The Stranger

            Simono as Conjurer's Friend

            Roger Trapp as Hotel Manager

            Marie-France Pisier as Colette Tazzi

            Michael Lonsdale
            
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