Love at Twenty



Love at Twenty (L'amour à vingt ans, Hatachi no koi, L'amore a vent'anni, Liebe mit zwanzig, Miłość dwudziestolatków) is a 1962 French-produced omnibus project of Pierre Roustang, consisting of five segments directed by five directors from five different countries. It was entered into the 12th Berlin International Film Festival.

The first segment, titled Antoine and Colette is by François Truffaut (France) and returns actor Jean-Pierre Léaud to the role of Antoine Doinel, a role he played three years earlier in The 400 Blows and would return to again in 1968 (Stolen Kisses), 1970 (Bed and Board) and 1979 (Love on the Run). It concerns the frustrations of love for the now 17-year-old Doinel and the unresponsive girl he adores. The second segment, the directorial debut of 21-year-old Renzo Rossellini (Italy), son of Roberto Rossellini and later a noted producer himself, tells the story of a tough mistress who loses her lover to an older, wealthier and more-appreciative woman. The third, by Japanese film director Shintarō Ishihara is described as a "weird, grotesque" and "clumsy" tale of obsessive and morbid love. Fourth is Marcel Ophüls (Germany) with a "charming, but somewhat sentimental" story of an unwed mother who contrives to trap the father of her baby. Finally the fifth segment, by Andrzej Wajda (Poland) entitled Warszawa depicts a brief intergenerational liaison based upon multiple misunderstandings. The episodes are tied together with still photos by Henri Cartier-Bresson and a wistful jazz soundtrack by Georges Delerue.

Truffaut's and Wajda's segments (the first and the last, respectively) are considered the highlights of the collection, even though Truffaut has stated he was not happy with the results overall.

Cast

 * Jean-Pierre Léaud as Antoine Doinel (segment "Antoine and Colette")
 * Marie-France Pisier as Colette (segment "Antoine and Colette")
 * Patrick Auffay as René (segment "Antoine and Colette")
 * Rosy Varte as La mère de Colette (segment "Antoine and Colette")
 * François Darbon as Le beau-père de Colette (segment "Antoine and Colette")
 * Jean-François Adam as Albert Tazzi (segment "Antoine and Colette")
 * Pierre Schaeffer as Himself (segment "Antoine and Colette")
 * Cristina Gaioni as Christina (as Christina Gajoni)
 * Geronimo Meynier as Leonardo
 * Eleonora Rossi Drago as Valentina
 * Nami Tamura as Fukimo
 * Koji Furuhata as Hiroshi
 * Barbara Frey as Ursula
 * Christian Doermer as Tonio
 * Vera Tschechowa
 * Werner Finck
 * Barbara Lass as Basia (segment "Warszawa")
 * Zbigniew Cybulski as Zbyszek (segment "Warszawa")
 * Władysław Kowalski as Wladek (segment "Warszawa")