The Francois Truffaut Thread

[flowrchild]

I have absolutely fallen in love with this excellent foreign director.

400 Blows: 9/10
Small Change: 8.5/10
Day For Night: 8.5/10
Jules Et Jim: 8/10
Farenheit 451: 7/10
Man Who Loved Women: 7/10

Which movies of his have you seen?

[bowieee]

ZSo far I've only seen the 400 blows but that is a masterpiece in it's own right. The ending seared itself into my brain and I find myself thinking about it randomly for no reason at all. I'm hoping to catch the other ones in the near future.

[notchreturns]

My favorite foreign director. He rocks my world!

The 400 Blows- 10/10
Small Change- 9/10
Jules et Jim- 9/10
Day for Night- 8.5/10
Shoot The Piano Player- 8/10
Farenheit 451- 7/10

[QUENTIN]

Probably the most likable and easily-accesible of foreign directors. My fifth favorite filmmaker.

1.) The 400 Blows-10/10
2.) Shoot The Piano Player -10/10
3.) Day For Night-10/10
4.) Small Change -9/10 (almost a 10)
5.) Jules et Jim -9/10 (ditto)
6.) The Man Who Loved Women -9/10
7.) The Wild Child -9/10
8.) Two English Girls -9/10
9.) Stolen Kisses-8.5/10
10.) The Bride Wore Black-8/10
11.) The Green Room -8/10
12.) The Story of Adele H. -8/10
13.) The Last Metro -8/10
14.) Bed and Board -8/10
15.) The Soft Skin -8/10
16.) The Woman Next Door -8/10
17.) Love on The Run -7/10
18.) Farenheit 451 -7/10

[Hannibal21]

My favorite films of his would be...

1. The 400 Blows - 10/10
2. The Wild Child - 10/10
3. Jules et. Jim - 10/10
4. The Story of Adele H - 9/10
5. Small Change - 9/10
6. The Last Metro - 8.5/10
7. Fahrenheit 451 - 8/10

[Ren Hoek]

One of my favourite filmmakers. JULES ET JIM (in my top 20 of al time) and THE 400 BLOWS are my favourites, with SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER and THE LAST METROfollowing not too far behind. If he ever made something like a disappointing movie, it would certainly be FAHRENHEIT 451. Though it's still a solid flick, it almost seems like Truffaut didn't fully understand the final part of the novel it is based on.

[bankholdup]

I've only seen one of his films: The 400 Blows (9/10). But don't worry, NetFlix will soon have more on the list. Jules et Jim is on there right now.

[maria_901]

I' ve only seen two films of this director: L'enfant sauvage and Fahrenheit 451. The first one was pretty good if not excellent, but the second one really disappointed me.

[FeverDog420]

Let me reiterate: Anyone who loves movies MUST see Day for Night. It's a glorious celebration of films and filmmaking, and y'all best rent it, like, now.

[Neesh]

I watched the whole Antoine Doinel cycle in one sitting. (with a few short breaks here and there...) They were all good and held my interest, the 400 Blows being the best.

[Frodo1138]

i haven't watched any Truffaut yet.
someone please explain.

what makes his sooo damn good????
who would you compare him to?

[flowrchild]

He is not comparable to anyone else, which is part of what makes him so good. See his movies and then you'll understand his appeal. He has a knack for writing well rounded characters and engaging dialogue.

[Frodo1138]

what should i start with?

[bankholdup]

Originally posted by Frodo1138
what should i start with?

I think The 400 Blows is his most well-loved film.

[James Logan]

Originally posted by bankholdup
I think The 400 Blows is his most well-loved film.

Ditto.

I love Truffaut, and that's saying a lot -- I usually don't dig on French flicks. Truffaut and Besson, two best French directors ever if you ask me.

[phelonious]

VIVEMENT DIMANCHE!

a murder mystery with a lot of humour with Fanny Ardant and Jean-Lous Trintignant.

THE LAST METRO

A paris theatre during the German occupation with Gerard Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve

Mr Truffaut also has a cameo in Steven Spielberg's CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, he plays (obviously) the French Scientest.

[FeverDog420]

Day for Night

[Damned Martian]

Originally posted by phelonious
Mr Truffaut also has a cameo in Steven Spielberg's CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, he plays (obviously) the French Scientest. That's far from a cameo. It's one of the main characters of the movie!

[Asokan]

I dunno if it's me, but to me Truffaut is a bit overrated, much like all of the French New Wave directors who had a lot of energy, which is evident in their films, but little depth beyond that. And their self-conciousness to me almost always stood in the way of good old-fashioned storytelling, something Tarantino comes closer to with every new movie, thus KILL BILL looks so far as his most directed movie.

Of Truffaut I've seen...

THE 400 BLOWS (1959) A very good picture, indeed, with many strong vignettes. Oddly though, they don't add up to much. Even though the final shot is terrific, there's not much for the viewer to gain from the aimlessness of the flick. Which I guess is the point, as our hero is aimless as well. Still, it's dated quite a bit and doesn't hold up on subsequent viewings.

SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER (1960) His probably most playful and most entertaining film, a sad-faced comedy film noir romance with many unforgettable delights. Loses its grip towards the end, but has so many inspired moments and terrific sequences, it's probably his best one.

JULES AND JIM (1962) Gripping and hearfelt menage a trois, splendidly shot and very well acted. In the end much ado about nothing, yet the ado is captivating from start to the unexpected finish.

THE SOFT SKIN (1964) First hour-and-a-half a strikingly realistic and affecting account of a ordinary family man having an affair, but then it becomes repititive and the denouement is rather disappointing. Still, the first hour is pure cinema magic.

FAHRENHEIT 451 (1966) Overrated sci-fi-fantasy with many clever ideas, but so cold and unengaging, I just didn't give a damn.

STOLEN KISSES (1968) Overrated Antoine Doinel romantic comedy which was a bit too quirky and playful for me on both viewings. Has it's charm, but is aimless and boring after a while.

MISSISSIPPI MERMAID (1969) The first adaptation of the book that was made into ORIGINAL SIN (2001) with Antonio Banderas and Angelina Jolie. Not as bad nor as hot as that one, this is a middling exercise in film noir stylistics with an unappealing cold heart at its centre and hard-to-believe plot turns.

THE WILD CHILD (1970) Documentary-like account of how a wild child was picked up by a doctor (Truffaut himself) and taught to be civilised. Fascinating no-bullshit-approach, but weak ending.

BED AND BOARD (1970) Another overrated Antoine Doinel romantic comedy, though a bit better than the others. This one is funny and has charm, but that doesn't carry it to the end.

LOVE ON THE RUN (1979) The last Doinel romantic comedy and lacking in ideas. Cue a lot of archive footage from earlier Doinel flicks. Probably Truffaut's weakest effort I've seen so far.

THE LAST METRO (1980) A bit lethargic, but still involving and interesting romantic drama. Fine performances by Gerard Depardieu and Catherine Deneuve. Was too long for some, but not for me.

THE WOMAN NEXT DOOR (1981) A solid drama of two lovers who meet again after years, now married to others and being neighbours. The romance blossoms again and the tragedy sets into motion. Strong performances, especially by Fanny Ardant make this one watchable. Still, nothing special.

Still a lot of his movies to catch up with. So far he is to me a brilliant filmmaker, alas a bit overrevered.

[Frodo1138]

i just saw "400 Blows"
AWESOME!
i liked it very much!
there seemed to be very many hidden meanings within it.
we obviuosly have sympathy for young Antoine but it seems like Truffaut is trying to say something about kids in general that i could not pick up on.

any thoughts?

[bankholdup]

1. The 400 Blows - 9/10
2. The Wild Child - 9/10
3. Day For Night - 9/10
4. Shoot The Piano Player - 9/10
5. The Man Who Loved Women - 8/10
6. Love On The Run - 8/10
7. Jules et Jim - 8/10
8. Board & Board - 8/10
9. Stolen Kisses - 7.5/10
10. Small Change - 7/10

[The Other]

I have only seen 4 films from Truffaut (two full-length features and 2 short films). Three of which being the first three Antoine Doinel films (still need to catch the last two) and another short film that came with the Antione & Collette short):

The 400 Blows (10/10) (Film 1)
Antione & Collette (8/10) (Film 2)
Stolen Kisses (8/10) (Film 3)

The Misfits (7/10)

I've actually got, from Netflix, Shoot the Piano Player in my room on top of my entertainment center just waiting to be watched. :D

[DaN]

I would have to say my favorite of his is Jules and Jim. God-damn that was so well made. Really inspiring and, well, damn near perfect!