Francois Truffaut And French Cinema

Francois Truffaut is one of those directors who is solid, competent, but has little to say. Unlike his bitter rival, Jean-Luc Godard- who had some technical talent, but slathered on his politics with foot thick butter, Truffaut was sort of like his gastronomic foodsake, truffles.

His films are wan, filigreed, and after a second viewing, you realize just how little was given to you.

Of all the French filmmakers whose work I've seen- admittedly only a dozen or less, the only one who seemed consistent was Jean-Pierre Melville, and even his films are lightweight. The only ones who reached greatness were Alain Resnais, Louis Malle, and Robert Bresson, and even their work is hit and miss.

I shall watch more, but French cinema (at least that I've seen) seems to pale next to the Italians, and even the Brits. The Spanish are equally hit and miss, as was New German Cinema- let's face it, after Werner Herzog, it is a long, steep cliff.

Anyway, here's to Truffaut:

Fantastic Planet

This French and Czechoslovakian cartoon has always stuck with me. I first saw it over 30 years ago. The animation is not that good, but stylized, with an interesting script.

At this same time, 1973, Hanna-Barbera schlock dominated American animation.

Henri-Georges Clouzot

Diabolique

The above link takes you to a video clip from a great French film, Diabolique. I also recently reviewed another classic by the man, The Wages Of Fear.

He's one of those directors whose critical reputation has waned, but whose films are still classics, spurring one to ask, since when does greatness go out of style?

I've got to get and see more of his films.