Two English Girls

It goes without saying that Francois Truffaut was a true admirer of the cinema. He took those admiriations for film and used them to master his craft of filmmaking. Almost every film he does is a delight to watch. No matter what the film is, Truffaut has complete control over it, his style so beautifully expressed through the camera lens.
Two English Girls (1971) is no exception to this. With this film Truffaut is in familiar territory, exploring some of the same emotions he explored in his great film Jules and Jim, and even from the same author, Henri-Pierre Roche. Here we see Truffaut tackling another early 20th century love triangle.
This time the love triangle centers around Claude (played by Jean-Pierre Leaud) an aspiring French writer who falls in love with two English sisters Anne (Kika Markham) and Muriel (Stacey Tendeter). Anne originally intends for Claude to marry Muriel, but soon develops strong feelings for Claude herself, thus complicating things even more.
This film tracks this love triangle through seven years. By the end of the film the three characters are completely drained emotionally and left to accept the fate that has befallen them. The audience can really feel the emotional pain from these characters, as the actors give their heart and soul in this film.
This film is on the epic scale of Jules and Jim but does not quite measure up to the greatness that is Jules and Jim. That being said that doesn't dismiss the greatness of this film. Each actor brings gut wrenching emotions to the screen as love very tragically. Truffaut seems in his comfort zone, carefully placing the camera and getting great condensed shots and placing a haunting musical score in the backdrop of this film.
Truffaut essentially delivers a masterful film that doesn't overplay the drama in the film. It is a great example of classical filmmaking that throws the audience emotional curve balls that leave you with a dark feeling. Praise for this film really isn't enough, what is enough is people actually seeing this lesser known Truffaut film. But when searching for this make sure it is the 130 minute restored version that Fox Lorber offers and can be bought at a reasonable price new and used at amazon: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_1_7?url=search-alias%3Dmovies-tv&field-keywords=two+english+girls+dvd&sprefix=two+eng%2Cmovies-tv%2C255.
This film is a definite must see for any fan of Truffaut or a fan of cinema for that matter, because that is what this film is, a cinematic masterwork. Plus, the performances from Leaud, Markham, and Tendeter are superb. A truly beautiful and dark film.