Written, directed, and edited by Xavier Dolan, Laurence Anyways is the story about a relationship between a woman and a transgender woman that spans a decade through many trials and tribulations. The film is a love story that is unlike anything as it explores two women in which one of them is born a man as it strays from the conventions of many romantic films. Starring Melvil Poupaud, Suzanne Clement, Monia Chokri, Yves Jacques, David Savard, and Nathalie Baye. Laurence Anyways is a tremendous and exhilarating film from Xavier Dolan.
Set in the span of a decade till the end of the millennium, the film plays into a tumultuous relationship between a woman and a man who wants to become a woman. It’s a film that plays into this relationship where this man named Laurence (Melvil Poupaud) questions his own identity four years into a relationship with this woman named Fred (Suzanne Clement) as this decision would send everything into a freefall as Fred wonders how she can help him. There in this on-and-off period that spans of a decade, Laurence and Fred not only deal with each other but also themselves where Laurence wonders if he can become a woman while Fred ponders if she can accept Laurence as a woman. What Xavier Dolan does with this story is showcase this man’s desire to become a woman as he wonders if he will be happier as a woman and could do that with Fred.
Dolan’s screenplay is quite complex and grand since it’s a story that does span a decade though it has a very odd structure. Much of the film’s first half takes place from the fall of 1989 to the end of 1990 where Laurence not only deals with his own identity issues but also into how Fred would react and the response from their own families. Whereas Fred tries to help Laurence with becoming and acting like a woman by wearing a dress, earrings, and putting on makeup. Still, it’s an act that would have Laurence lose his job as a literature teacher as several things would lead to issues with Fred. Its second half would be set in 1995 and beyond where both Laurence and Fred lead different lives but still pine for each as Laurence would write a book of poems dedicated to her as they would get a glimpse of the life they would have if they ever get together for good.
Dolan’s direction is truly intoxicating not just in his approach to framing but in exactly how he manages to capture every attention to detail in his direction. While it is a film that largely emphasizes on style, Dolan’s approach to compositions and how he frames his actors into a scene are just hypnotic as well as his camera movements and how he places the camera for a scene. Dolan goes for moments that play into elements of dramatic tension or something has elements of fantasy in a world that is often quite troubling. Dolan’s approach to close-ups and medium shots are engaging along with some unique camera angles that play into some of the humor but mostly for dramatic effect to showcase the anguish between Fred and Laurence.
Also serving as the film’s editor, Dolan definitely maintains a sense of style in his approach as editor where he uses a lot of jump-cuts, slow-motion cuts, and other aspects of cutting styles to play into some of the dramatic tension as well as this entrancing opening sequence where people stare at this mysterious person. It’s among these moments where Dolan’s approach to editing and in his direction definitely showcase what he is going to do while his approach to the story is a slow burn to play into Fred and Laurence’s relationship with its many ups and downs. Much of is quite expansive in its storytelling as it plays into the decade in the life of a couple where Dolan knows that there’s a lot to be told as it’s a long film at 168 minutes yet he makes every moment and every frame worth telling. Overall, Dolan crafts a compelling yet visceral film about a relationship between a woman and a man who wants to become a woman.
Cinematographer Yves Belanger does brilliant work with the film‘s very colorful and stylish photography with its use of color filters for interior scenes at night along with some unique lighting and vibrant colors for the scenes set in the snow. Production designer Anne Pritchard, along with art director Colombe Raby and set decorators Louis Dandonneau and Pascale Deschenes, does amazing work with the set design from the apartment Fred and Laurence lived in during the film‘s first half as well as the home of their parents to the posh home that Fred lived in during the film‘s second half as well as the party sequence that Fred goes to. Costume designers Xavier Dolan and Francois Barbeau do fantastic work with the clothes that Fred and Laurence wear as it’s full of style in its look and personality as it adds to the film’s evocative look.
Hair designers Michelle Cote and Martin Lapointe, with makeup designers Kathy Kelso and Colleen Quinton, do awesome work with the look of the characters as well as Laurence‘s look as a woman and the hairstyle of Fred throughout the years. Visual effects supervisor Jean-Francois Ferland does nice work with some of the minimal visual effects in the film that play into the sense of fantasy surrounding the characters. Sound editor Sylvain Brassard does superb work with the sound from some of the sparse textures of the sound in the locations to some of the crazy elements in the film. The film’s music by Noia is phenomenal as its electronic-ambient score is entrancing that plays into some of the melancholic elements of the film while its soundtrack features an array of music from classical pieces by Sergei Prokofiev, Antonio Vivaldi, Johannes Brahms, and Gustav Mahler to contemporary music from acts like Fever Ray, the Cure, Duran Duran, Depeche Mode, Visage, Kim Carnes, Celine Dion, and Craig Armstrong.
The casting by Helene Rousse is incredible as it features notable small roles from Yves Jacques as Laurence’s fellow teacher/mentor Lafortune, Monique Spaziani as another teacher in Francine, Mylene Jampanoi and Jacob Tierney as a couple Fred and Laurence meet late in the film, Vincent Plouffe as Fred’s son Leo, Sophie Faucher as Fred’s mother, Vincent Davy as Laurence’s father, and Susie Almgren as a journalist interviewing Laurence late in the film. In the roles of this family of drag queens that Laurence meets, there’s Catherine Begin, Emmanuel Schwartz, Jacques Lavallee, Perette Souplex, and Patricia Tulasne in very lively and funny roles as this family that would help guide Laurence into finding herself. Magalie Lepine Blondeau is terrific as Laurence’s mid-90s girlfriend Charlotte who knows about his feelings for Fred as she would stalk her from afar while David Savard is superb as Fred’s husband in the mid-90s that she would meet at a party as he tries to deal with her mood swings.
Monia Chokri is fantastic as Fred’s very cynical and biting sister Stefie who isn’t very fond of Laurence as well as she tries to see that Fred is thinking about as it’s a role filled with lots of humor. Nathalie Baye is brilliant as Laurence’s mother Julienne as a woman who doesn’t seem close to Laurence as she was in his childhood as she suddenly becomes closer to him once he decides to become a woman. Suzanne Clement is outstanding as Fred as this filmmaker that is trying to cope with her career but also the change in the man she loves as she tries to support him as she conveys the sense of anguish and rage that a woman goes through in her devotion to the one she loves. Finally, there’s Melvil Poupaud in a tremendous performance as Laurence as this man who becomes confused about his own identity as he becomes a woman as it’s a very engaging and transformative performance where Poupaud brings in that sense of anguish but also desire to find himself as a woman.
Laurence Anyways is a magnificent film from Xavier Dolan that features remarkable performances from Melvil Poupaud and Suzanne Clement. It’s a film that isn’t afraid to use style to tell a story about transgender relationships and other off-the-wall things while creating something is also very accessible and bold. Especially in ways that are visually entrancing with a soundtrack that is just absolutely to the point that plays into the emotional aspects of the film. In the end, Laurence Anyways is a sensational film from Xavier Dolan.
Xavier Dolan Films: I Killed My Mother - Heartbeats - Tom at the Farm - Mommy - (It's Only the End of the World) - The Death and Life of John F. Donovan - Matthias & Maxime - (The Night Logan Woke Up) - The Auteurs #46: Xavier Dolan
© thevoid99 2015
Based on the book by Frank Abagnale and Stan Redding, Catch Me If You Can is the story about a young Abagnale who manages to concoct several successful cons before the age of 19 as he’s often in pursuit by a FBI agent. Directed by Steven Spielberg and screenplay by Jeff Nathanson, the film is a quirky comedy of sorts where a young man forges checks to create elaborate cons as he deals with being pursued by a FBI agent who refuses to give up as Leonardo diCaprio plays Frank Abagnale and Tom Hanks in the role of FBI agent Carl Hanratty. Also starring Nathalie Baye, Martin Sheen, Amy Adams, Jennifer Garner, James Brolin, and Christopher Walken. Catch Me If You Can is a witty yet adventurous film from Steven Spielberg.
The film revolves around the life of a young man who decides to forge checks in order to con banks out of their money as his actions get the attention of a FBI agent who would chase him for several years. It’s a film that plays into two men involved in this cat-and-mouse game where there is a bit of mutual respect between the two even though Frank Abagnale is a criminal and Carl Hanratty is a FBI agent. Though Hanratty’s motivations is to capture Abagnale and retrieve all of the money that was stolen, it is Abagnale’s motivation that is clearly far more interesting. Especially as he is doing these schemes on banks as an act of revenge when his father Frank Sr. (Christopher Walken) was turned down by banks for a loan due to various things involving the IRS. By pretending to be a Pan Am pilot, a doctor, and a lawyer, Abagnale does whatever it takes to survive but things eventually get out of control which forces Abagnale to get more desperate in order to evade the FBI.
Jeff Nathanson’s screenplay does have a unique narrative as it’s told in a reflective style where Abagnale is returning to the U.S. from France as he’s accompanied by Hanratty. While the film does have a traditional structure, it is more about Abagnale’s motivations as he once lived a good life with his parents until money issues and his French mother Paula (Nathalie Baye) having an affair with a friend of his father in Jack Barnes (James Brolin) which lead to the end of the life that Abagnale had. The divorce of his parents would lead Abagnale to run away and use his mastery to con people would provide him as a means of survival where he would live well and woo women. All of this gets the attention of authorities where Carl Hanratty would be the one chasing him throughout the years as it’s all set during the 1960s while the scenes of Abagnale and Hanratty coming home to the U.S. is set in the 1970s.
While the presentation of the story is comical as the chases does have Hanratty in a series of humiliating moments. It is still a drama at heart where there’s these conversations from a pay phone that Abagnale would have with Hanratty on Christmas Day where it is about these two men getting to know each other as an act of respect between two opponents. Even as Abagnale would have thoughts of giving up his criminal schemes where an encounter with a young pregnant nurse named Brenda (Amy Adams) would raise those thoughts. While it’s third act plays more into what Abagnale would endure as a captured criminal and what he would have to do to avoid spending more time in prison where the roles of Abagnale and Hanratty would sort of change in terms of who gets humiliated. Still, it is about a sense of one-upmanship as well as how Abagnale would use his skills into this new life and find some fulfillment in his life.
Steven Spielberg’s direction is very stylish as it plays up this vibrant world of the 1960s as well as creating something that feels upbeat and lively. Especially in the way he definitely mimics films of those time while creating something that feels intimate with the compositions he creates. Some that intimacy with its use of close-ups and medium shots play into the life that the young Abagnale had with his family including the scenes between Abagnale and his father which expresses Abagnale’s desire and loyalty to his father. It’s among these smaller moments that Spielberg creates that is quite magical while having airs of sentimentality since it showcases Abagnale’s willingness to make his father proud. The direction also has Spielberg use some unique compositions to play into the phone conversations between Abagnale and Hanratty where Spielberg uses a few wide shots to play into the loneliness that looms in Hanratty as he is never seen not working.
The scenes where Spielberg plays into the chase scenes have these intricate steadicam shots play into the frenzy of Hanratty’s desperation to capture Abagnale. Even as Spielberg infuses some style with some tracking shots as well as scenes that play into some of the chases along with an extravagant scene where Abagnale hires women to pretend to be stewardesses. There is a sense of extravagance in these moments but it plays to how elaborate Abagnale’s schemes are as things do slow down in the third act. Yet, Spielberg does manage infuse some style in his compositions as well as in creating the conflicts in Abagnale in what he has to do in the third act. Overall, Spielberg creates a very compelling yet whimsical film about a cat-and-mouse game between a FBI agent and a young con artist.
Cinematographer Janusz Kaminski does brilliant work with the film‘s photography with its array of stylish approach to interior lightings for the scenes set in the bars and restaurants as well as some of its nighttime exteriors in the U.S. and parts of France. Editor Michael Kahn does fantastic work with the editing with its rhythmic approach to humor that includes the chase scenes along with some straightforward cuts to play into the drama. Production designer Jeannine Oppewall, with art director Sarah Knowles and set decorators Claudette Didul and Leslie A. Pope, does amazing work with the set design from the look of the hotel rooms and places that Abagnale stayed in to the FBI office building where Hanratty is at in his job.
Costume designer Mary Zophres does excellent work with the design of the Pan Am pilot uniforms and stewardess costumes as well as some of the clothes Abagnale wears to play into the sunny world of the 1960s. Visual effects supervisors Nathan McGuinness and Patrice Mugnier do nice work with some of the minimal visual effects which plays more as set-dressing in some sequences in the film. Sound editors Charles L. Campbell and John A. Larsen do terrific work with the sound to play into some of the machines that Abagnale would use later in his cons as well as the planes and location scenes to play into the world that the characters are in. The film’s music by John Williams is incredible as it is this nice mix of jazz textures and lush orchestral music to play into the humor and drama as the soundtrack features music from Frank Sinatra, Judy Garland, Nat King Cole, Dusty Springfield, and the trio of Antonio Carlos Jobim, Stan Getz, and Joao Gilberto.
The casting by Debra Zane is phenomenal as it features some notable small roles from Elizabeth Banks and Ellen Pompeo as women that Abagnale would woo in his adventures, Brian Howe, Chris Ellis, and Frank John Hughes as a trio of FBI agents who work with Hanratty as they’re often seen as bumbling fools, the real Frank Abagnale as a French policeman who would arrest Abagnale in France, Jennifer Garner as a call girl Abagnale would woo during one of his schemes, and Nancy Lenehan as Brenda’s mother who definitely takes a liking to Frank as she is excited that Brenda found a good man. James Brolin is terrific as Jack Barnes as a man who was a friend of Abagnale’s father who would betray him by sleeping with Abagnale’s mother and later marry her. Martin Sheen is excellent as Brenda’s father Roger Strong who is a bit suspicious of Abagnale yet takes him under his wing when Abagnale thinks about becoming a lawyer.
Amy Adams is fantastic as Brenda Strong as this young nurse who falls for Frank as she comes to him thinking he’s a doctor about having an abortion as the two fall in love where Adams exudes a sense of innocence to her role. Nathalie Baye is superb as Abagnale’s French mother who met Abagnale’s father when she was 18 and would marry him as she is really an interesting character as a woman that wanted a different life as she has no clue into how bad she hurt her son. Christopher Walken is brilliant as Frank Abagnale Sr. as the man that the young Frank idolizes as Walken has this sense of charm and warmth into his role as a man who wants to do what is best for his family while he would learn exactly what his son has been doing.
Tom Hanks is amazing as Carl Hanratty as the FBI agent who would be chasing Abagnale for several years as he tries to figure out how he does his schemes and such where there’s a bit of admiration in the character as well as some humor as Hanks manages to create a character that is fun to watch despite some shaky moments in his New English accent. Finally, there’s Leonardo diCaprio in a remarkable performance as Frank Abagnale as this young man who would start his cons at the age of 16 in an act of rebellion against the banks that cheated his father as diCaprio brings a lot of charm and wit to his role as well an energy and anguish into someone that wants to make his father proud as it’s one of diCaprio’s finest performances.
Catch Me If You Can is a sensational and fun film from Steven Spielberg. Armed with a great cast led by Leonardo diCaprio and Tom Hanks as well as very exciting premise that is told with such style. The film is definitely one of Spielberg’s most entertaining films as well as one of his funniest. In the end, Catch Me If You Can is a marvelous film from Steven Spielberg.
Steven Spielberg Films: (Duel (1971 film)) - (The Sugarland Express) - (Jaws) - (Close Encounters of the Third Kind) - (1941) - (Raiders of the Lost Ark) - (E.T. the Extraterrestrial) - (Twilight Zone: the Movie-Kick the Can) - (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) - (The Color Purple) - (Empire of the Sun) - (Always) - (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) - (Hook) - (Jurassic Park) - Schindler’s List - (The Lost World: Jurassic Park) - (Amistad) - Saving Private Ryan - (A.I. Artificial Intelligence) - (Minority Report) - (The Terminal) - (War of the Worlds (2005 film)) - (Munich) - (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull) - (The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn) - (War Horse) - (Lincoln) - (Bridge of Spies) - (The BFG)
© thevoid99 2014
Based on a trio of short stories by Henry James in The Altar of the Dead, The Beast in the Jungle, and The Way It Came, La chambre verte (The Green Room) is the story of a man’s obsession with the dead as he strives to build a memorial for them. Directed and starring Francois Truffaut and screenplay by Truffaut and Jean Grualt, the film is an exploration into the world of death as it is set a decade after the first World War. Also starring Nathalie Baye, Jean Daste, and Patrick Maleon. La chambre verte is a mesmerizing film from Francois Truffaut.
The film is a simple story of a journalist whose obsession with death has him wanting to pay tribute to the friends including his old flame he had lost over the years as he gets the help from an auction house secretary. It’s a film where Julien Davenne (Francois Truffaut) tries to deal with the people he had lost as he was a World War I veteran as he also hold a torch for his wife Julie in a room where he places her belongings and such. Upon meeting Cecilia (Nathalie Baye) at an auction house where he bought a ring for his late wife, he would ask her to aid him in watching over a chapel that he would restore as he would make it a memorial for his old friends and his flame. The film’s screenplay takes the work of Henry James into something where a man is often around death from an opening scene at a funeral to the life that Julien lives in as it’s very quiet. Some of the film’s dialogue plays into the idea of death and Julien’s obsession with it where Cecilia is also dealing with loss as she would help him.
Truffaut’s direction also has an air of simplicity in his direction as it opens with this very rich montage of images of World War I with Julien looking on in a dissolve. Much of it is presented has Truffaut going for something intimate where there’s very little wide shots so that he can express Julien’s own determination to honor the dead. Much of it involve Truffaut going for simple camera movements and some compositions where it plays into the growing relationship between Julien and Cecilia where they unknowingly both visit the same cemetery where the latter has been going there because of someone she knew had just passed. While the film has a third act where it does play into a bit of convention, it does play into something that explores the idea of death as well as Julien’s obsession as he loses his own grip on life itself. Overall, Truffaut creates a very engaging and compelling film about a man’s obsession with death.
Cinematographer Nestor Almendros does excellent work with the film‘s low yet colorful cinematography from the naturalistic approach to the exterior scenes to some of the gorgeous images in the candlelight chapel scenes and inside the green room. Editor Martine Barreque-Currie does nice work with the editing as it‘s pretty straightforward with the exception of some stylish dissolve montage scenes that play into Julien‘s own obsession with death. Production designer Jean-Pierre Kohut-Svelko does brilliant work with the set design from the renovation of the chapel as well as the look of the cemetery including a tomb for an old friend of Julien.
Costume designers Monique Dury and Christian Gasc do terrific work with the costumes from the clothes that Julien wears where he often wears black while the clothes that Cecilia wear are grey. The sound work of Michel Laurent and Jean-Louis Ughetto is superb for some of the sound effects such as the storm and some of the more low-key moments in the film. The film’s music by Maurice Jaubert is amazing for its enchanting score that plays into the drama with its lush string arrangements and somber pieces for the heavier moments.
The film’s fantastic cast includes notable small roles from Jean Daste as Julien’s boss, Patrick Maleon as the deaf-mute boy Georges who lives with Julien, Jeanne Lorbe as Georges’ caretaker, Monique Dury as the secretary at the newspaper where Julien works at, Jean-Pierre Moulin as the widower whom Julien tries to comfort early in the film, and Laurence Ragon as the picture of Julien’s late wife Julie. Nathalie Baye is incredible as Cecilia as a very kind and charming woman who sort of knows Julien as she helps him with restoring a chapel as she also has some feelings for the dead. Finally, there’s Francois Truffaut in an excellent performance as Julien as this man who is haunted by loss as he wants to pay tribute to his late love as he realizes what he needs to do while losing sight of the world around him.
La chambre verte is a superb film from Francois Truffaut that features an amazing performance from Nathalie Baye. While it is an interesting film in its exploration of death, it is also a film that plays into obsession and how a man starts to lose sight into a world that is already filled with life. In the end, La chambre verte is a rich and glorious film from Francois Truffaut.
Francois Truffaut Films: The 400 Blows - Shoot the Piano Player - Jules & Jim - Antoine & Colette - The Soft Skin - Fahrenheit 451 - The Bride Wore Black - Stolen Kisses - Mississippi Mermaid - The Wild Child - Bed and Board - Two English Girls - Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me - Day for Night - The Story of Adele H. - Small Change - The Man Who Loved Women - Love on the Run - The Last Metro - The Woman Next Door - Confidentially Yours
The Auteur #40: Francois Truffaut (Pt. 1) - (Pt. 2)
© thevoid99 2014
Directed by Francois Truffaut and written by Truffaut, Michel Fermaud, and Suzanne Schiffman, L’Homme qui aimait les femmes (The Man Who Loved Women) is the story of a man who had many lovers in his life as they would all reflect on what he brought to their world. Told in a reflective narrative style, the film is an exploration into a man who meant something to the women he loved no matter how complicated his love life is. Starring Charles Denner, Brigitte Fossey, Nelly Borgeaud, Genevieve Fontanel, and Leslie Caron. L’Homme qui aimait les femmes is a very touching and witty film from Francois Truffaut.
The film is a reflective story about a man who loved so many women as he tries to deal with everything he had done as he writes a book about the many relationships he has as well as his own faults as a man. All of which has the main narrative exploring the life of Bertrand Morane (Charles Denner) whose obsession with women’s legs and sleeping with them has him reflecting on his failures to find stability as he learned that a friend of his is already with someone else. The action would force him to deal with his own love-life and his own relationship with his mother as Bertrand would eventually write about the many loves of his life as it would attract the attention of a young publisher in Genevieve (Brigitte Fossey) who would fall for him. The film’s script takes it time to play into Bertrand’s self-discovery as well as the women in his life such as the lingerie shop manager Helene (Genevieve Fontanel), a doctor’s wife in Delphine (Nelly Borgeaud), and an old flame in Vera (Leslie Caron) which would force him to think about his own past and sins.
Francois Truffaut’s direction is quite simplistic at times in terms of his compositions but there’s also elements of style that is prevalent throughout the film. Notably the shots of women’s legs as it’s something that Bertrand is often obsessed about as there is something about their legs that is quite fascinating. The film is shot partially in Paris and Montpellier where the latter serves as the home where Bertrand lives in as he is often awaken by a caller whom he was eager to meet. Yet, there’s a sensitivity to Truffaut’s approach to telling the story where he plays into the many contradictions that Bertrand lives in as he is a man with a lot of great flaws as Truffaut doesn’t portray him as anything but a man. Truffaut’s camera involves a lot of simple close-ups and medium shots as well as moments where Bertand’s obsessions would get the best of him though the film does open on a very grim note as it plays to what Genevieve was discovering about Bertrand. Overall, Truffaut creates a very engaging yet compelling film about a man’s love for women.
Cinematographer Nestor Almendros does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography with its naturalistic approach to lighting in some of the nighttime scenes as well as some low-key yet evocative look to some of the daytime exterior scenes and some black-and-white shots for flashbacks into Bertrand‘s child hood. Editor Martine Barraque-Currie does fantastic work with the editing as it plays to a sense of style with its approach to dissolves and jump-cuts as the latter add to the sense of drama that Bertrand is going through. Production designer Jean-Pierre Kohut-Svelko does terrific work with set pieces from the lingerie store that Helene runs to the apartment that Bertrand lives in.
Costume designer Monique Dury does nice work with the clothes from the suits that Bertrand wears to the different dresses the women wear. The sound work of Michel Laurent is superb for some of the sound effects such as the aerodynamics lab he works at and other moments where the sound drowns out some of the dialogue. The film’s music by Maurice Jaubert does amazing work in creating an upbeat orchestral score for some of the funnier moments along with more low-key somber moments for the dramatic scenes.
The film’s cast includes some notable small roles from Nathalie Baye as a woman Bertrand asks over a pair of legs he saw early in the film, Anna Perrier as a beautiful babysitter, Jean Daste as a doctor, and Valerie Bonnier as a former lover whom Bertrand helps out. Leslie Caron is wonderful in her brief role as the old flame Vera whom Bertrand would meet late in the film as their meeting would force Bertrand to think about his own flaws. Genevieve Fontanel is terrific as the lingerie store manager Helene who is a friend of Bertrand as she reveals her own preferences in companionship that would force Bertrand to deal with his own flaws. Nelly Borgeaud is fantastic as Delphine as a married woman who would fall for Bertrand only to cause trouble as she would do things that would force him to break away from that relationship.
Brigitte Fossey is brilliant as Genevieve as this book publisher who is intrigued by Bertrand’s story as she would help him get it out as she would also fall for him to understand everything that he’s all about. Finally, there’s Charles Denner is a remarkable performance as Bertrand Morane as this man who has this ability to fall in love with women and be with them as he deals with his own faults and the contradictions he makes in his life as it’s one that is funny but also quite sensitive as it’s really a performance to watch.
L’Homme qui aimait les femmes is a phenomenal film from Francois Truffaut that features an incredible performance from Charles Denner. Not only is it one of Truffaut’s most captivating films on the way men view women but also one that is very sensitive in the way men view themselves at times which makes it one of Truffaut’s more accessible films. Overall, L’Homme qui aimait les femmes is an extraordinarily rich film from Francois Truffaut.
Francois Truffaut Films: The 400 Blows - Shoot the Piano Player - Jules & Jim - Antoine & Colette - The Soft Skin - Fahrenheit 451 - The Bride Wore Black - Stolen Kisses - Mississippi Mermaid - The Wild Child - Bed and Board - Two English Girls - Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me - Day for Night - The Story of Adele H. - Small Change - The Green Room - Love on the Run - The Last Metro - The Woman Next Door - Confidentially Yours
The Auteur #40: Francois Truffaut (Pt. 1) - (Pt. 2)
© thevoid99 2014
Directed by Francois Truffaut and written by Truffaut, Suzanne Schiffman, and Jean-Louis Richard, La nuit americaine (Day for Night) is the story about a filmmaker trying to make a film where a lot of things go wrong. With Truffaut playing the director, it’s a film that chronicles the turbulent world of filmmaking and what goes on during a film production. Also starring Jean-Pierre Leaud, Jacqueline Bissett, Valentina Cortese, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Dani, Nathalie Baye, Jean Champion, and Alexandra Stewart. La nuit americaine is a whimsical and engaging film about the world of filmmaking.
The film is about a filmmaker, his actors, and his crew trying to make a film called Meet Pamela where the director Ferrand learns he only has seven-weeks to shoot the film while his leading English actress has not arrived on set due to her melancholic state. Adding to the chaos is an aging diva who boozes up as she can’t remember her lines while her co-star is a former lover while one of her younger co-stars is dealing with his girlfriend’s infatuation with other crew members. It’s a film that explores a filmmaker trying to make this romantic love-triangle with all of the pressures that goes on as it relates to funding and all sorts of things. All of which is told in a very whimsical manner where Francois Truffaut pokes fun at the world of the studio system but also pays homage to it as the film is also a tribute to cinema itself.
The film’s screenplay has a lot of jokes that relates to cinema where Truffaut even pokes fun at himself as some of the characters he creates are composites of some of his collaborators and actors he worked with. Yet, Truffaut treats them as real people as the aging actor Alexander (Jean-Pierre Aumont) tries to keep things calm and be professional as he often takes trips to the airport. The aging diva Severine (Valentina Cortese) deals with aging as she has a hard time remembering her lines while reflecting on the days when she and Alexander made films in Hollywood. The young actor Alphonse (Jean-Pierre Leaud) is a variation of the many characters that Leaud had played in Truffaut’s films as he’s hung up on his girlfriend Liliane (Dani) who gets hired as a script girl as she is more interested in other men. Then there’s the young English leading lady Julie Baker (Jacqueline Bissett) who has just got married to an older man (David Markham) yet is still reeling from depression.
It all plays to the craziness that goes on as Ferrand and his producer Bertrand (Jean Champion) try to make sure that things don’t go wrong as crew members start to sleep around and do crazy things. It plays into the sense of pressure that goes on as Julie is uninsured in case things go wrong as Ferrand just tries to film while he would have recurring dreams featuring a kid. The script also has a lot of commentaries about film itself and what it means to people as it adds to the sense of reality and fiction blurring.
Truffaut’s direction is quite stylish for not just the way he presents the film-within-a-film in Meet Pamela but also in the realness that he creates when he’s trying to make a film as if there is a bit of a cinema verite feel to it. Much of the direction about Ferrand making the film has a lot of style from wide shots to display a crew shooting where there’s some elaborate crane shots to some close-ups that are on display for the film. The scenes for Meet Pamela is presented as a typical melodrama with a lot of cinematic references to some of films that Truffaut has made in some of the visuals. There is a lot of humor that goes on but it’s very subtle as it doesn’t go too far into whimsy.
There’s also moments where there’s an idea where the fourth wall might be broken as there’s a famous scene where a woman who is shown often in the background as she finally states her opinion about cinema. Even as the film’s American title relates to what filmmakers do to shoot scenes in the day for nighttime scenes as it plays to some of the absurdity of cinema as there’s a famous scene of two crew members watching a game show where the questions relates to films that starred Jeanne Moreau. Overall, Truffaut creates a very exciting and funny film about cinema and a man trying to make something cinematic.
Cinematographer Pierre-William Glenn does excellent work with the film‘s cinematography with its unique approach to lighting as well as displaying some tricks into how some of the film‘s interiors are lit for the film-within-a-film sequences. Editors Martine Barraque and Yann Dedet do fantastic work with the editing as it includes some montages and jump-cuts as it plays to the film‘s humor and some of its melancholia. Production designer Damien LanFranchi does brilliant work with the set pieces as well as the way sets are displayed as well some of the offices and hotel rooms the crew and actors stay in.
Costume designer Monique Dury does wonderful work with the costumes from the stylish clothes that Julie and Severine wear to the some of the costumes the actors wear for the film-within-a-film. The sound work of Rene Levert and Harrik Maury is terrific for its sound from the way sound is created on set to the recording of the characters in the film-within-a-film. The film’s music by Georges Delerue is amazing for its very soaring and upbeat score that plays into the humor along with some somber pieces that includes a cut that he did in Two English Girls.
The film’s superb cast includes some notable appearances from author Graham Greene as an English insurer, Christophe Vesque as the boy in Ferrand’s dream, Xavier Saint-Macary as Alexander’s companion, David Markham as Julie’s much-older husband, Zenaide Rossi as crewmember’s wife who is always on set, Nike Arrighi as the makeup girl Odile, and Bernard Menez as the prop man who is frustrated by some of the film’s troubles. Nathalie Baye is wonderful as Ferrand’s assistant director Joelle who tries to keep things organized while Jean Champion is terrific as the film’s producer who tries to get everything intact while being the one to accompany Julie when she arrives. Dani is terrific as Alphonse’s girlfriend Liliane who enjoys being on set while flirting with other men. Alexandra Stewart is excellent as the secondary actress Stacey who arrives to the set where Ferrand and his crew make a major discovery that would cause more trouble for the production.
Francois Truffaut is amazing in playing Ferrand where he’s sort of playing himself as a filmmaker trying to get the production going while dealing with all of the troubles that happens. Jean-Pierre Aumont is great as the aging actor Alexander who tries to ensure that things go well while being the most professional despite his frequent trips to the airport. Jacqueline Bissett is radiant as the troubled English actress Julie Baker who tries to cope with her depression while doing her job in playing the ingenue. Jean-Pierre Leaud is fantastic as the young actor Alphonse as he deals with his relationship issues while asking numerous questions about women as it relates to his own aloofness. Finally, there’s Valentina Cortese in a remarkable performance as the diva Severine as this woman trying to cope with aging as well as a fading career as Cortese brings a lot of life and exuberance to her performance that hides the sense of insecurities that she carries in her character.
La nuit americaine is an incredible film from Francois Truffaut. Armed with a great cast and many tributes and allusions to the world of cinema, the film is definitely one of Truffaut’s most accessible and compelling films of his career. Particularly as Truffaut makes fun of himself as well as show some realism into the world of filmmaking. In the end, La nuit americaine is a sensational film from Francois Truffaut.
Francois Truffaut Films: The 400 Blows - Shoot the Piano Player - Jules & Jim - Antoine & Colette - The Soft Skin - Fahrenheit 451 - The Bride Wore Black - Stolen Kisses - Mississippi Mermaid - The Wild Child - Bed and Board - Two English Girls - Such a Gorgeous Kid Like Me - The Story of Adele H. - Small Change - The Man Who Loved Women - The Green Room - Love on the Run - The Last Metro - The Woman Next Door - Confidentially Yours
The Auteur #40: Francois Truffaut (Pt. 1) - (Pt. 2)
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