Movies
I was fully expecting to see a French Noir, I got a Nouvelle Vague film with minor crime elements instead. I'm not complaining, mind, my affinity with the French New Wave is much bigger than with its noir scene, though I don't think Truffaut is the best the Nouvelle Vague has to offer. Charlie Kohler once was a famous pianist, after his wife committed suicide Charlie couldn't continue his public life and his fame quickly faded. Things get worse when he gets a visit from his little brother. He has two criminals on his tail, Charlie gets involved in their business when he inadvertently lies to them. While there are some clear crime elements present, the direction is a lot lighter and less constrained than you'd get from an actual noir. Aznavour isn't great though and Truffaut isn't quite as frivolous as some of his contemporaries. The film has its moments, but not enough to put it up there with the best Nouvelle Vague films.Read all
Faltering classic that revolves around a love triangle that fails to engage. Poor acting and failed stylistic experiments make it very difficult to get into the film, what remains are some less than intruiging characters struggling with their relationship. I've seen some fine Nouvelle Vague films, but sadly this wasn't one of them.
François Truffaut, the French film critic turned director, makes a film about making a film and casts himself as the director character. If you love this kind of self-referential navel-gazing, then Day for Night is definitely a film for you. Personally I rarely see the fun in artists turning their craft into the main topic of their work. Ferrand is a director who is getting ready to turn his latest film: Meet Pamela. Like always, the production has its ups and down, with producers bugging the directors, actors putting themselves in front of the film and complex love triangles forming between cast members. Ferrand wonders if he'll ever be able to finish the film. Day for Night is a pretty typcial film about film. It's quite hectic, there's some slight comedy that's never too ironic or sarcastic and in the end the audience is always supposed to marvel at the fact that directors can actually deliver a finished product. At almost two hours long, this didn't do much for me. Way too self-indulgent.Read all
Silly and almost childish film that revisits the idea of book burning and adds some sci-fi elements to it. The acting is atrocious, the sci-fi elements are absolutely ridiculous and I never quite figured out how serious Truffaut was about the subject. Regardless his intentions, the result is terrible and utterly boring.