Masterpieces of the 60s: Part II
Picking up where we last left off...
In 1973, Jean-Luc Godard accused Truffaut of having made a dishonest film -- Day for Night -- and attacked his inability to make genuine films. As close as they had been, these two giants of French cinema would never speak again. (Truffaut died in 1984 and Godard turned 87 earlier this month.)
Stanley Kubrick, perhaps the most influential American auteur of all time, regarded Truffaut as being one tier below Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, and David Lean.
But I'm not here to assess let alone rank any of my heroes. To me, they all reside at the very top pantheon of filmmakers.
I bring up Godard and Kubrick's assessment of the French auteur because their assessment illuminates the difference between the two types of directorial genius. The first runs with intuition and calibrates it with intellect. The second has their intellect at the helm with their intuition as the guiding light. Neither is superior to the other. And of course it's more of a spectrum than a dichotomy.
That said, it's not uncommon for the former to attack or dismiss the latter. Ingmar Bergman regarded Alfred Hitchcock as a brilliant technician and only that. Fortunately for them, Bergman and Hitchcock were never friends and a close friendship was never destroyed as a consequence.
Jules et Jim showcases Truffaut's intellectual method in top form. Chances are if you like Wes Anderson (Moonrise Kingdom, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Grand Budapest), you'll also like Truffaut.
The brilliance of Jules et Jim extends to its characters as well. Our two title characters are memorable in their own rights. But it is Catherine, the female protagonist, that stands out the most, being one of the most memorable characters in film history.
Truffaut had a knack for creating female characters that enticed and enthralled. Perhaps more so than Bergman or Fellini. And that's saying a lot. Many of Truffaut's female characters are etched in my memories and Catherine more deeply than any other. If someone ever tells you that you remind them of a Truffaut character, the chances are you have a hold of their heart -- that is, unless they're a director and you're an actor auditioning for a part.
The role of Catherine is played by Jeanne Moreau. If her name sounds familiar, it's because she is the actress from Michelangelo Antonioni's La Notte, the picture introduced in Part I. If the serenity of La Notte bored you, I'm sure you'll find Jules et Jim much more captivating; it's got a punk rock mentality to it.
2. François Truffaut's Jules et Jim
In 1973, Jean-Luc Godard accused Truffaut of having made a dishonest film -- Day for Night -- and attacked his inability to make genuine films. As close as they had been, these two giants of French cinema would never speak again. (Truffaut died in 1984 and Godard turned 87 earlier this month.)
Stanley Kubrick, perhaps the most influential American auteur of all time, regarded Truffaut as being one tier below Ingmar Bergman, Federico Fellini, and David Lean.
But I'm not here to assess let alone rank any of my heroes. To me, they all reside at the very top pantheon of filmmakers.
I bring up Godard and Kubrick's assessment of the French auteur because their assessment illuminates the difference between the two types of directorial genius. The first runs with intuition and calibrates it with intellect. The second has their intellect at the helm with their intuition as the guiding light. Neither is superior to the other. And of course it's more of a spectrum than a dichotomy.
That said, it's not uncommon for the former to attack or dismiss the latter. Ingmar Bergman regarded Alfred Hitchcock as a brilliant technician and only that. Fortunately for them, Bergman and Hitchcock were never friends and a close friendship was never destroyed as a consequence.
Jules et Jim showcases Truffaut's intellectual method in top form. Chances are if you like Wes Anderson (Moonrise Kingdom, Fantastic Mr. Fox, Grand Budapest), you'll also like Truffaut.
The brilliance of Jules et Jim extends to its characters as well. Our two title characters are memorable in their own rights. But it is Catherine, the female protagonist, that stands out the most, being one of the most memorable characters in film history.
Truffaut had a knack for creating female characters that enticed and enthralled. Perhaps more so than Bergman or Fellini. And that's saying a lot. Many of Truffaut's female characters are etched in my memories and Catherine more deeply than any other. If someone ever tells you that you remind them of a Truffaut character, the chances are you have a hold of their heart -- that is, unless they're a director and you're an actor auditioning for a part.
The role of Catherine is played by Jeanne Moreau. If her name sounds familiar, it's because she is the actress from Michelangelo Antonioni's La Notte, the picture introduced in Part I. If the serenity of La Notte bored you, I'm sure you'll find Jules et Jim much more captivating; it's got a punk rock mentality to it.
I originally planned on covering two pictures -- Truffaut's Jules et Jim and Jean-Luc Godard's Vivre Sa Vie -- in this entry, but unfortunately Vivre Sa Vie will have to wait till next time.
Happy Holidays to everyone who can enjoy the festivity of this season because they're not rehearsing Hamlet every night in the shower.
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