Jules: “So you won the war, you louse.”
Jim: “I’d rather have won this.”
Two guys (Jules and Jim) in love with the same woman (Catherine). A common plot, but in the hands of young French New Wave director Francois Truffaut, it’s a poignant one.
Notice that the film isn’t titled Jules et Jim et Catherine. That shows you where the story lies. In this scene, the two men — who essentially carried out a platonic three-way relationship with Catherine (Jeanne Moreau) before heading off to WWI to fight on separate sides — have returned from the front. Jules is married to Catherine. His side has lost the Great War, but he’s emerged victorious over his pal. It’s a brief comfort, though, as Catherine proceeds to bounce between the two for the rest of the film. Still, Jules and Jim remains friends for life, the love of a girl pushing them apart and bringing them together, each in its own time.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/v/lPgwSIeiv4w&hl=en&fs=1]