and in closing

went to see Jules et Jim at the Khyber this evening. i've never seen a Truffaut film before, so it was a treat. i liked how it hit the ground running in bringing the viewer up to speed with the characters - "we're going to take 3 or 4 minutes and give you the backstory and then we'll get to the story that we're really interested in". there's a certain utility in that. the narrative seemed to function more as a space within which ideas about men, women, love and relationships could be explored. whether the film was merely descriptive, or meant to prescribe the behaviour of its characters in a general sense, i couldn't tell. the characters describe themselves as "pioneers", trying to "reinvent love". is the ending a tragedy in which the characters are punished for their hubris in pursuing their unorthodox relationships, or are they martyrs to this new vision? personally, i think it's punishment, but then, i'm somewhat conservative in these matters and we see what we want to see...

and how could this day end any better than with a glass of Glenmorangie and the State of the Union?