The Soft Skin

François Truffaut's cool, creamy-smooth 1964 film about a doomed affair channels the director's love of Hitchcock into a romantic melodrama that while not a thriller in any traditional sense still evokes the master of suspense. Respected publisher and literary critic Pierre Lachenay (Jean Desailly) doesn't have adultery on his mind when he becomes entranced with lovely stewardess Nicole (Françoise Dorléac), whose path he keeps crossing during a speaking engagement. Pierre is happily married to Franca (Nelly Benedetti), and the pair have a young daughter, Sabine (Sabine Haudepin)—but he plunges ahead anyways into an affair that, despite his best efforts, begins to unravel all of their lives. Truffaut brings a lush romanticism to this tale of indiscretion, which plays out in a cinematic world where sudden stabs of ominous music hint at a tragedy in the making, all the while investing the proceedings with Hitchcockian echoes of guilt and a fear of discovery. The Soft Skin reflects Truffaut's career-long fascination with philandering men, with Pierre not so much sordid as he is vain and pathetic, married to a woman who will come into her own following the heartbreaking discovery of his lies. Unavailable in the U.S. for years, The Soft Skin has been newly remastered by Criterion for DVD and its Blu-ray debut, with extras including an audio commentary, new video essay, archival interview with Truffaut, a 1999 documentary on the Truffaut/Hitchcock connection, and a booklet. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)