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The Soft Skin

Year
1964
Length
117 minCriterion Collection spine 749 catalogue presentation Version sources ↓

A married literary scholar begins an affair, and a romance gradually takes on the pressure of a suspense story.

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Country
France
Language
French
RomanticTense Approachable · Moderate
The Soft Skin 1964

What to expect

The attraction is the starting point, not a guarantee of escape. Truffaut turns a celebrated man's private affair into an increasingly anxious situation, bringing romantic desire into contact with secrecy and consequences. It offers a different route into the French New Wave from youthful freedom: the interest lies in how a relationship can become a set of pressures that the people involved cannot comfortably control.

How to ease in

Keep the marriage and the affair in view at the same time. Notice how seemingly manageable decisions acquire a cost, rather than looking only for a dramatic turning point. The tension matters as much as the attraction.

Heads-up

A quick, non-exhaustive note Infidelity, deception and an increasingly distressed relationship. The conclusion is not treated as a promise of romantic reassurance here.
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Credits & versions

Version map

Janus Films catalogue presentation (listing checked 2026-10-27) 117 min Named Janus catalogue listing only. Formats listed by the distributor do not prove a single cut, restoration or stream presentation; no runtime was measured. Source: Janus Films Checked 2026-10-27
Criterion Collection spine 749 catalogue presentation 117 min · home video Listed catalogue duration only. The Janus presentation and Channel stream are not established as the same cut, restoration or transfer; no stream runtime was measured. Source: The Criterion Collection Runtime reference · Checked 2026-10-27

Sources for the facts

Official availability link

Criterion Channel — official listing ↗

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The catalogue duration above is not a measured stream runtime. Link checked 2026-10-27 on Criterion’s film page; service and subscription information.

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