TRUFFAUT, FRANÇOIS

Truffaut, François: translation

(1932-1984)

Director, film critic, producer, and screenwriter. While still a teenager in late 1947, François Truffaut initiated aciné-clubwith his friend Robert Lachenay. Through his involvement with this club,Cercle Cinémane, and other ciné-clubs, Truffaut became acquainted with the criticAndré Bazin, who is often described as Truffaut's surrogate father. This relationship was pivotal in Truffaut's formation as a director. In 1953, Truffaut began writing forCahiers du cinémaandArts. As a critic, Truffaut boldly denounced the French cinematictradition de qualité, most notably in his 1954 essay, "Une certaine tendence du cinéma français." The criticisms laid out in Truffaut's writing, and the underlying aesthetics implied in these criticisms, would be central in the formation of theNouvelle Vagueor New Wave.

Truffaut later established a small production company, Les Films du Carrosse, with the financial assistance of his father-in-law, the distributor Ignace Morgenstern. His first short wasUne visite(1954), followed byLes Mistons(1957). InLes Mistonsand in later films, Truffaut pays homage to the cinema through allusions to former films, such asLouisLumière's classic silent filmL'Arroseur arosé(1895). This intertextual referencing would later also become a characteristic of the New Wave.

Truffaut went on to codirect a short about flooding around Paris,Une histoire d'eau(1958), withJean-Luc Godard. His first feature film was the autobiographicalLes Quatre cent coups(1959), which won the Grand Prix at theCannes Film Festivaland became a benchmark for the New Wave.In fact, some critics consider this film to be the first true New Wave film. The film's protagonist, Antoine Doinel, is played by one of Truffaut's regular actors, Jean-Pierre Léaud. Several critics have noted the similarities between the character Antoine's childhood and that of Truffaut. Truffaut himself did not comment on this, but referred to the film in only artistic terms, calling it an example of "cinema in the first person singular." Doinel would become a recurrent character in Truffaut's oeuvre. He subsequently made four other films featuring Doinel (all starring Léaud): the shortAntoine et Colette(1962),Baisers volés(1968), which won thePrix Louis-Delluc,Domicile conjugal(1970), andL'amour en fuite(1979).

FollowingLes Quatre cents coups, Truffaut made his second feature,Tirez sur le pianiste(1960). This film was not as commercially successful asLes Quatre cents coups, but it later gained recognition for its divergence from an emphasis on plot and its innovative experimentation in film narrative, image, and cinematic style. It was also the first of Truffaut's films to employ the acclaimed cameraman Raoul Coutard. Truffaut's third feature,Jules et Jim(1962), was another success for the New Wave. It won the French Film Critics Award for best French film and has gained lasting international acclaim. It was followed by another acclaimed film,La peau douce(1964).

Truffaut directed one film in English,Fahrenheit 451(1966), which was derived from Ray Bradbury's famous science-fiction novel. In 1976, Truffaut authored his own book, a series of interviews with legendary director Alfred Hitchcock,Le Cinéma selon Hitchcock. Quite apart from this publication, it is quite evident from Truffaut's films that he had an interest in Hitchcock. Hitchcock's influence is apparent inLa marié était en noir(1968) andLa sirène du Mississippi(1969), both of which were based on novels by William Irish, who also wrote the story on which Hitchcock'sRear Windowwas based.

In 1970, Truffaut madeL'enfant sauvage(1970), a film in which he also appears. This film was followed byLes deux Anglaises et le continent(1971) andUne belle fille comme moi(1972). Truffaut's tribute to filmmaking,La Nuit américaine(1973), was awarded an Oscar for Best Foreign Film and a British Film Academy Award for Best Film and Best Direction. His second book,Les films de ma vie, was published in 1975. Truffaut returned to literary adaptation in 1975 with his filmL'histoire de AdèleH, which is adapted from the personal diaries of Victor Hugo's daughter, Adèle.

The recurring theme of youth, particularly troubled youth, returned in Truffaut's 1976 film,L'argent de poche, which sensitively narrates a series of stories about children in the town of Thiers. This film was followed byL'homme qui aimait les femmes(1977), which was made at the same time as Truffaut was working as an actor for Steven Spielberg on his filmClose Encounters of the Third Kind(1977). In 1978, Truffaut directed and starred inLa chambre verte(1978), another literary adaptation based on the writings of Henry James.

Truffaut's next film,Le dernier métro(1980), set during the German Occupation of France, is sometimes seen as the end of theMode Rétroand/or as a problematic beginning to theheritage film. It won tenCésarAwards, including Best Director, Best Film, and Best Screenplay. It stars two icons of French cinéma,Gérard DepardieuandCatherine Deneuve, who received Best Actor and Best Actress at the César awards in 1981 for their performances. This film was followed byLa femme d'à côté(1981) andVivement dimanche! (1983), both of which starFanny Ardant, who is the mother of Truffaut's youngest child.

Truffaut's influence on world cinema is vast and enduring. His films are invaluable to the New Wave, the heritage genre, and beyond. His writing inspired a reevaluation of cinema as it contributed to the serious study of film as an art form. Not only did Truffaut contribute to the theory of theauteur, in many ways he personifies the auteur.