Object #51 - Hourglass - Jules and Jim (1962)

Dir. Francois Truffaut

The first 30 minutes of Jules and Jim are a whirlwind of images. In quick succession we are introduced to Jules (Oskar Werner), and (you guessed it), Jim (Henri Serre), the two city-goers, not doing much at all- sleeping with women, fencing, and viewing slideshows of ancient statues. That last one does seem a little unique, but that's the beauty of this rapid opening, you just have to roll with it as a viewer, with scenes swapping locations and topic nearly every minute; it's dizzying even to our modern eyes who are used to rapid cuts, particularly in our blockbusters. The two go to view one of the statues, as the smile of it has captured their interest, and here they meet a woman, Catherine (Jeanne Moreau) who looks just like the statue - thus enrapturing them both.

 We have already seen that Jim has a partner, Gilberte (Vanna Urbino), as well as Jules' sexual exploits prior to meeting Catherine. In one of these scenes Jules, a shy Austrian, is in bed with Therese (Marie Dubois), and he turns over a large hourglass, telling her that by the time it has run out, he'll be asleep. In a fantastic bit of symbolism, one that's endemic of Truffaut's entire approach to film, that is - mixing it up a bit, Therese takes Jules' cigarette, and smokes it backwards, circling the room blowing smoke, pretending she's a train. It's sex without showing sex, as the two fall into bed right after, with the sand falling...

As Jules and Catherine enter a relationship, Jim is told "Not this one" - clearly told that she is off limits both sexually and romantically to Jim. But of course, we love what we cannot have, and Catherine is certainly lovable. Jeanne Moreau is the star of the show throughout the film, as her giddy, take-what-come nature in the early section of the film is beautifully played, and indeed shot by Truffaut. The first screenshot above is actually paused within the scene itself, freezing the beauty of Catherine as she laughs at Jim/Jules' jokes. It's techniques like this, as well as the use of voice over (such as later on when we are told that Jim is in love with her as she dives into the river), that do so well what 'traditional' film does only with dialogue and 'standard' shots of events. By freezing moments of laughter we see that Catherine is beautiful throughout the entire action, as well as hammering home the fleeting nature of the action itself. This is why I chose the hourglass as the object for this film, as it symbolises the theme of the film for me - that theme being time, or more specifically, how relationships and people can change over time.

The catalyst for this change is the First World War, which Jules and Jim fight in, on different sides. This however is glossed over quickly with historic footage, and the rest of the film not really bringing it up, except as a reason for dividing the trio. Post-war, Jim visits Jules and Catherine in Austria, their new home, where their live with their young child, Sabine (Sabine Haudepin). The spectre of the war hangs over them however, not with PTSD or lost limbs, but as a wall between their old, care-free city life, and their current life in the countryside, as parents, and older men/women. Jim and Catherine do sleep with each other eventually, and we learn that Catherine has been cheating on Jules prior to this, a fact he's aware of. The majority of the film then focuses on this relationship triangle, as Catherine and Jim sleep together upstairs most nights, with Catherine occasionally spurning Jim, and being wooed all over again by Jules more restrained nature.     

The hourglass in fact, survives the war, but isn't used, only sitting in the back of scenes. Similarly, a painting Jim gave as a gift at Catherine and Jules' wedding also sits in the background, a survivor of the war, and an anchor to a better time. The relationship of Jim and Catherine degrades over time, as jealousy and distance erodes their passion. But as their love was so passionate and strong, it takes a long time for this to happen, as even in jealousy, neither man can stay away - best exemplified in a scene where they drive her to Albert's (Serge Rezvani), an on/off lover of Catherine's, and leave her the night there, with the car to drive home. 

Jim and Jules

The message of the film may be that time can degrade all things, including relationships. I think however the power of the theme is in retrospect, as the giddyness of the opening of Jules and Jim, both in plot and filmic construction, is that much more powerful in contrast to the end-point - Jules, alone, with the ashes of his friends, and the mid-point, the degrading relationship of the three. Shots are slower at the end, cuts less frequent, and the freeze-frame, frozen in time shots of a young Catherine laughing seem worlds apart from her openly asking Jules, who sits in his rocking chair, if Jim loves her?