Teen Movie Critic
Francois Truffaut
August 5, 1996
Truffaut is without a doubt, next to Jean-Luc Godard, the greatest of the French New Wave directors of the 1950's and 1960's. Born On February 6, 1932 in Paris, France, Truffaut was a noted film critic before he became a director. Andre Bazin, a well-known French film critic, is the man credited with getting Truffaut started in both film criticism and filmaking. After releasing a series of highly influential critiques during the 50's, he started as a director by making short film works. His first feature-length work, The Four Hundred Blows (1959), thrust the young filmaker into the eyes of the world. His next two films, the tribute to gangster epics Shoot The Piano Player (1960) and the tragic love story Jules and Jim (1961), are among his finest work.
In later decades, his work seemed to differ into many particular styles. His so-called "gentle" film works have included:
- Day For Night (1973), a celebration of the joy of filmaking.
- Small Change (1976), a nostalgic journey into childhood.
- The Man Who Loved Women (1977), a humorous look at love and relationships.
He has also gone towards the darker side with such works as his Hitchcock influenced The Bride Wore Black (1968), and his last film Confidentially Yours (1983). He also became a frequent actor in his films, and in other directors works. His most notable performance came in 1977, when he portrayed the scientist in search for alien life, in Steven Spielberg's Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He has not only been the influence for countless filmakers, but film critics as well (including yours truly). He was one of the many film directors who revolutionized world cinema, during the increasingly turbulent times of the 60's and early 70's and is given credit as the virtual inventor of the French Novelle Vague (New Wave). Sadly, he died of a brain tumor in Neuilly, France on October 21, 1984 leaving behind a short, but impressive body of work, and a lasting influence for generations of filmakers, filmgoers and film critics to come.
My rating on a scale of 1 to 10: 10
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