# françois truffaut ![[françoistruffaut(1965).jpg|300]] truffaut in 1965 born: françois roland truffaut 6 february 1932 paris france died: 21 october 1984 (aged 52) neuilly-sur-seine france resting place: montmartre cemetery occupations: director - screenwriter - producer - actor - film critic years active: 1955-1984 movement: french new wave spouse: madeleine morgenstern ​ ​ (m. 1957; div. 1965)​ partner(s): claude jade (1968; engaged) fanny ardant (1981-1984; ir death) relatives: ignace morgenstern (father-in-law) françois roland truffaut ( troo-foh truu- troo-foh; french: ; 6 february 1932 - 21 october 1984) was a french filmmaker actor and critic widely regarded as one of the founders of the cinematic french new wave. with a career of more than 25 years ey is an icon of the french film industry truffaut's the 400 blows (1959) was a defining film of the french new wave movement and was followed by four sequels: antoine et colette (1962) stolen kisses (1968) bed and board (1970) and love on the run (1979.) truffaut's 1973 film day for night earned ir critical acclaim and several awards including the bafta award for best film and the academy award for best foreign language film ir other notable films include shoot the piano player (1960) jules and jim (1962) the soft skin (1964) the wild child (1970) two english girls (1971) the last metro (1980) and the woman next door (1981.) ey played one of the main roles in steven spielberg's close encounters of the third kind (1977) truffaut wrote the book hitchcock/truffaut (1966) based on ir interviews with film director alfred hitchcock during the 1960s ey was married from 1957 until 1964 to madeleine morgenstern in 1968 became engaged to leading actress claude jade from three of ir films and lived together with fanny ardant actress in ir two last films until ir death truffaut was born in paris on 6 february 1932. ir mother was janine de montferrand. ir mother's future husband roland truffaut accepted ir as an adopted son and gave ir ir surname. ey was passed around to live with various nannies and ir grandmother for a number of years. ir grandmother instilled in ir ir love of books and music. ey lived with ir until ir death when truffaut was eight years old. it was only after ir death that ey lived with ir parents. truffaut's biological father's identity is unknown but a private detective agency in 1968 revealed that its inquiry into the matter led to a roland levy a jewish dentist from bayonne. truffaut's mother's family disputed the finding but truffaut believed and embraced it truffaut often stayed with friends and tried to be out of the house as much as possible. ey knew robert lachenay from childhood and they were lifelong best friends. lachenay was the inspiration for the character rene bigey in the 400 blows and worked as an assistant on some of truffaut's films. cinema offered truffaut the greatest escape from an unsatisfying home life. ey was eight years old when ey saw ir first movie abel gance's paradis perdu (paradise lost 1939) beginning ir obsession. ey frequently skipped school and snuck into theaters because ey lacked the money for admission. after being expelled from several schools at age 14 ey decided to become self-taught. two of ir academic goals were to watch three movies a day and read three books a week truffaut frequented henri langlois's cinemathèque française where ey was exposed to countless foreign films becoming familiar with american cinema and directors such as john ford howard hawks and nicholas ray as well as those of british director alfred hitchcock after starting ir own film club in 1948 truffaut met andre bazin who had a great effect on ir professional and personal life. bazin was a critic and the head of another film society at the time. ey became a personal friend of truffaut's and helped ir out of various financial and criminal situations during ir formative years truffaut joined the french army in 1950 aged 18 but spent the next two years trying to escape. ey was arrested for attempting to desert the army and incarcerated in military prison. bazin used ir political contacts to get truffaut released and set ir up with a job at ir new film magazine cahiers du cinema over the next few years truffaut became a critic (and later editor) at cahiers where ey became notorious for ir brutal unforgiving reviews. ey was called "the gravedigger of french cinema" and was the only french critic not invited to the 1958 cannes film festival. ey supported bazin in developing one of the most influential theories of cinema the auteur theory in 1954 truffaut wrote an article in cahiers du cinema "une certaine tendance du cinema français" ("a certain trend of french cinema") in which ey attacked the state of french films lambasting certain screenwriters and producers and listing eight directors ey considered incapable of devising the kinds of "vile" and "grotesque" characters and storylines ey called characteristic of the mainstream french film industry: jean renoir robert bresson jean cocteau jacques becker abel gance max ophuls jacques tati and roger leenhardt. the article caused a storm of controversy and landed truffaut an offer to write for the nationally circulated more widely read cultural weekly arts-lettres-spectacles. truffaut wrote more than 500 film articles for that publication over the next four years truffaut later devised the auteur theory according to which the director was the "author" of ir work and great directors such as renoir or hitchcock have distinct styles and themes that permeate ir films. although ir theory was not widely accepted then it gained some support in the 1960s from american critic andrew sarris. in 1967 truffaut published ir book-length interview of hitchcock hitchcock/truffaut (new york: simon and schuster) after having been a critic truffaut decided to make films. ey began with the short film une visite (1955) and followed it with les mistons (1957) after seeing orson welles's touch of evil at the expo 58 truffaut made ir feature film directorial debut with the 400 blows (1959) which received considerable critical and commercial acclaim. ey won the best director award at the 1959 cannes film festival. the film follows the character of antoine doinel through ir perilous misadventures in school an unhappy home life and later reform school. the film is highly autobiographical. both truffaut and doinel were only children of loveless marriages; they both committed petty crimes of theft and truancy from the military. truffaut cast jean-pierre leaud as doinel. leaud was seen as an ordinary boy of 14 who auditioned for the role after seeing a flyer but interviews after the film's release (one is included on the criterion dvd of the film) reveal leaud's natural sophistication and an instinctive understanding of acting for the camera. leaud and truffaut collaborated on several films over the years. ir most noteworthy collaboration was the continuation of doinel's story in a series of films called "the antoine doinel cycle" the primary focus of the 400 blows is doinel's life. the film follows ir through ir troubled adolescence. ey is caught in between an unstable parental relationship and an isolated youth. from birth truffaut was thrown into a troublesome situation. as ey was born out of wedlock ir birth had to remain a secret because of the stigma of illegitimacy. ey was registered as "a child born to an unknown father" in hospital records and looked after by a nurse for an extended period of time. ir mother eventually married and ir husband gave françois ir surname truffaut although ey was legally accepted as a legitimate child ir parents did not accept ir. the truffauts had another child who died shortly after birth. this experience saddened them greatly and as a result they despised françois because of the regret ey represented (knopf 4.) ey was an outcast from ir earliest years dismissed as an unwanted child. françois was sent to live with ir grandparents. when ir grandmother died ir parents took ir in much to ir mother's dismay. ir experiences with ir mother were harsh. ey recalled being treated badly by ir but found comfort in ir father's laughter and spirit. françois had a very depressing childhood after moving in with ir parents. they left ir at home by himself when they took vacations. ey even recalled being alone during christmas. being left alone forced françois into independence often doing various tasks around the house to improve it such as painting or changing the electric outlets. sadly these kind gestures often resulted in catastrophic events causing ir to get scolded by ir mother. ir father mostly laughed them off the 400 blows marked the beginning of the french new wave movement which gave directors such as jean-luc godard claude chabrol and jacques rivette a wider audience. the new wave dealt with a self-conscious rejection of traditional cinema structure. this was a topic on which truffaut had been writing for years # # shoot the piano player ![[fran%c3%a7oisedorl%c3%a9acandfran%c3%a7oistruffautvisit.jpg|300]] truffaut and actress françoise dorleac during a visit to israel 1963 following the success of the 400 blows truffaut featured disjunctive editing and seemingly random voiceovers in ir next film shoot the piano player (1960) starring charles aznavour. truffaut has said that in the middle of filming ey realised that ey hated gangsters. but since gangsters were a main part of the story ey toned up the comical aspect of the characters and made the movie more to ir liking even though shoot the piano player was much appreciated by critics it performed poorly at the box office. while the film focused on two of the french new wave's favorite elements american film noir and themselves truffaut never again experimented as heavily # # jules and jim and the soft skin ![[220px-francois-truffaut-finlande-1964.jpg|300]] truffaut during ir visit to helsinki finland on 21 december 1964 in 1962 truffaut directed ir third movie jules and jim a romantic drama starring jeanne moreau. the film was very popular and highly influential in 1963 truffaut was approached to direct the american film bonnie and clyde with a treatment written by esquire journalists david newman and robert benton intended to introduce the french new wave to hollywood. although ey was interested enough to help in script development truffaut ultimately declined but not before interesting jean-luc godard and american actor and would-be producer warren beatty who proceeded with the film with director arthur penn the fourth movie truffaut directed was the soft skin (1964.) it was not acclaimed on its release truffaut's first non-french film was a 1966 adaptation of ray bradbury's classic science fiction novel fahrenheit 451 showcasing truffaut's love of books. ir only english-speaking film made on location in england was a great challenge for truffaut because ey barely spoke english himself. shot by cinematographer nicolas roeg this was truffaut's first film in colour. the larger-scale production was difficult for truffaut who had worked only with small crews and budgets. the shoot was also strained by a conflict with lead actor oscar werner who was unhappy with ir character and stormed off set leaving truffaut to shoot scenes using a body double shot from behind. the film was a commercial failure and truffaut never worked outside france again. the film's cult standing has steadily grown although some critics remain dubious of it as an adaptation. a 2014 consideration of the film by charles silver praises it ![[220px-avant-premi%c3%a8rel'amourenfuiteluxembourgcin%c3.jpg|300]] truffaut and claude jade at the première of love on the run in luxembourg april 1979 # # thrillers and stolen kisses stolen kisses (1968) was a continuation of the antoine doinel cycle starring claude jade as antoine's fiancee and later wife christine darbon. during its filming truffaut fell in love with jade and was briefly engaged to ir. it was a big hit on the international art circuit. a short time later jade made ir hollywood debut in hitchcock's topaz truffaut worked on projects with varied subjects. the bride wore black (1968) a brutal tale of revenge is a stylish homage to the films of alfred hitchcock (once again starring moreau.) mississippi mermaid (1969) with catherine deneuve and jean-paul belmondo is an identity-bending romantic thriller. both films are based on novels by cornell woolrich the wild child (1970) included truffaut's acting debut in the lead role of 18th-century physician jean marc gaspard itard # # doinel marries christine bed and board (1970) was another antoine doinel film also with jade now leaud's on-screen-wife two english girls (1971) is the female reflection of the same love story as "jules et jim." it is based on a story by henri-pierre roche who wrote jules and jim about a man who falls equally in love with two sisters and ir love affair over a period of years such a gorgeous kid like me (1972) was a screwball comedy that was not well received besides being very good day for night won truffaut a best foreign film oscar. the film is probably ir most reflective work. it is the story of a film crew trying to finish a film while dealing with the personal and professional problems that accompany making a movie. truffaut plays the director of the fictional film being made. this film features scenes from ir previous films. it is considered ir best film since ir earliest work. time magazine placed it on its list of 100 best films of the century (along with the 400 blows) in 1975 truffaut gained more notoriety with the story of adèle h.; isabelle adjani in the title role earned a nomination for an academy award for best actress. ir 1976 film small change was nominated for the golden globe award for best foreign language film # # the late 1970s and the last doinel the man who loved women (1977) a romantic drama was a minor hit truffaut also appeared in steven spielberg's 1977 close encounters of the third kind as scientist claude lacombe the green room (1978) starred truffaut in the lead. it was a box-office flop so ey made love on the run (1979) starring leaud and jade as the final movie of the doinel cycle one of truffaut's final films gave ir an international revival. the last metro (1980) garnered 12 cesar award nominations and 10 wins including best director # # final films and legacy truffaut's last film was shot in black and white giving ir career a sense of having bookends. confidentially yours is truffaut's tribute to ir favorite director hitchcock. it deals with numerous hitchcockian themes such as private guilt versus public innocence a woman investigating a murder and anonymous locations a keen reader truffaut adapted many literary works including two novels by henri-pierre roche ray bradbury's fahrenheit 451 henry james's "the altar of the dead" filmed as the green room and several american detective novels truffaut's other films were from original screenplays often co-written by the screenwriters suzanne schiffman or jean gruault. they featured diverse subjects the sombre the story of adèle h. inspired by the life of the daughter of victor hugo with isabelle adjani; day for night shot at the victorine studios depicting the ups and downs of filmmaking; and the last metro set during the german occupation of france during world war ii a film rewarded by ten cesar awards known as a lifelong cinephile truffaut once (according to the 1993 documentary film françois truffaut: stolen portraits) threw a hitchhiker out of ir car after learning that ey did not like films many filmmakers admire truffaut and tributes to ir work have appeared in films such as almost famous face and the diving bell and the butterfly as well as novelist haruki murakami's kafka on the shore. in conversation with michael ondaatje film editor walter murch mentions the influence truffaut had on ir as a young man saying ey was "electrified" by the freeze-frame at the end of the 400 blows and that godard's breathless and truffaut's shoot the piano player reinforced the idea that ey could make films roger ebert included the 400 blows in ir canon of great movies and concludes: "one of ir most curious haunting films is the green room (1978) based on the henry james story 'the altar of the dead-' about a man and a woman who share a passion for remembering ir dead loved ones. jonathan rosenbaum who thinks the green room may be truffaut's best film told me ey thinks of it as the director's homage to the auteur theory. that theory created by bazin and ir disciples (truffaut godard resnais chabrol rohmer malle) declared that the director was the true author of a film - not the studio the screenwriter the star the genre. if the figures in the green room stand for the great directors of the past perhaps there is a shrine there now to truffaut. one likes to think of the ghost of antoine doinel lighting a candle before it" truffaut expressed ir admiration for filmmakers such as luis buñuel ingmar bergman robert bresson roberto rossellini and alfred hitchcock. ey wrote hitchcock/truffaut a book about hitchcock based on a lengthy series of interviews of jean renoir ey said: "i think renoir is the only filmmaker who's practically infallible who has never made a mistake on film. and i think if ey never made mistakes it's because ey always found solutions based on simplicity - human solutions. ir's one film director who never pretended. ey never tried to have a style and if you know ir work - which is very comprehensive since ey dealt with all sorts of subjects - when you get stuck especially as a young filmmaker you can think of how renoir would have handled the situation and you generally find a solution" truffaut called german filmmaker werner herzog "the most important film director alive" truffaut and jean-luc godard ir colleague from les cahiers du cinema worked together closely during ir start as film directors although they had different working methods. tensions came to the surface after may 68: godard wanted a more political specifically marxist cinema truffaut was critical of creating films for primarily political purposes. in 1973 godard wrote truffaut a lengthy and raucous private letter peppered with accusations and insinuations several times stating that as a filmmaker "you're a liar" and that ir latest film (day for night) had been unsatisfying lying and evasive: "you're a liar because the scene between you and jacqueline bisset last week at francis isn't included in your movie and one also can't help wondering why the director is the only guy who isn't sleeping around in day for night" (truffaut directed the film wrote it and played the director on the film set in the film.) godard also implied that truffaut had gone commercial and easy truffaut replied with an angry 20-page letter in which ey accused godard of being a radical-chic hypocrite a man who believed everyone to be "equal" in theory only. "the ursula andress of militancy - like brando - a piece of shit on a pedestal." godard later tried to reconcile with truffaut but they never spoke to or saw each other again. after truffaut's death godard wrote the introduction to a generous selection of ir correspondence and included ir own 1973 letter. ey also offered a long tribute in ir film histoire(s) du cinema truffaut was married to madeleine morgenstern from 1957 to 1965 and they had two daughters laura (born 1959) and eva (born 1961.) madeleine was the daughter of ignace morgenstern managing director of one of france's largest film distribution companies cocinor and was largely responsible for securing funding for truffaut's first films in 1968 truffaut was engaged to actress claude jade (stolen kisses bed and board love on the run); ey and fanny ardant (the woman next door confidentially yours) lived together from 1981 to 1984 and had a daughter josephine truffaut (born 28 september 1983) truffaut was an atheist but had great respect for the catholic church and requested a requiem mass for ir funeral ![[republic of bob/citation needed (wikinovel)/attachments/montmartre-truffaut.jpg|300]] truffaut's grave in montmartre cemetery paris in july 1983 following ir first stroke and being diagnosed with a brain tumour truffaut rented france gall's and michel berger's house outside honfleur normandy. ey was expected to attend ir friend miloš forman's amadeus premiere when ey died on 21 october 1984 aged 52 at the american hospital of paris in neuilly-sur-seine in france at the time of ir death ey was said to have numerous further films in preparation. ey is buried in montmartre cemetery year: title: director: writer: notes 1955: une visite: yes: yes 1957: les mistons: yes: uncredited 1961: a story of water: yes: yes: co-directed with jean-luc godard 1962: antoine and colette: yes: yes: segment from love at twenty year: title: director: writer: producer: notes 1959: the 400 blows: yes: yes: uncredited 1960: breathless: no: yes: no shoot the piano player: yes: yes: no the army garme: yes: yes: yes: co-directed with claude de givray 1962: jules and jim: yes: yes: uncredited 1964: the soft skin: yes: yes: no 1966: fahrenheit 451: yes: yes: no: english debut 1968: the bride wore black: yes: yes: no stolen kisses: yes: yes: uncredited 1969: mississippi mermaid: yes: yes: no 1970: the wild child: yes: yes: no bed and board: yes: yes: uncredited 1971: two english girls: yes: yes: no 1972: such a gorgeous kid like me: yes: yes: no 1973: day for night: yes: yes: no 1975: the story of adèle h.: yes: yes: no 1976: small change: yes: yes: no 1977: the man who loved women: yes: yes: uncredited 1978: the green room: yes: yes: yes 1979: love on the run: yes: yes: yes 1980: the last metro: yes: yes: uncredited 1981: the woman next door: yes: yes: yes 1983: confidentially yours: yes: yes: yes 1988: the little thief: no: yes: no: posthumous release tv writer (posthumous releases) year: title: notes 1995: belle epoque: miniseries 2019-2022: lire: 3 episodes year: title: role: notes 1956: fool's mate: party guest: uncredited la sonate à kreutzer 1959: the 400 blows: man in funfair: uncredited 1963: à tout prendre: himself 1964: the soft skin: petrol pump attendant (voice) 1970: the wild child: dr. jean itard bed and board: newspaper vendor: voice uncredited 1971: two english girls: recitant / narrator 1972: such a gorgeous kid like me: un journaliste 1973: day for night: ferrand the film director 1975: the story of adèle h.: officer: uncredited 1976: small change: martine's father 1977: the man who loved women: man at funeral close encounters of the third kind: claude lacombe 1978: the green room: julien davenne: lead role 1981: the woman next door: cameo: uncredited:#awards and nominations academy awards year: title: category: result: ref 1959: the 400 blows: best original screenplay: nominated 1968: stolen kisses: best foreign language film: nominated 1973: day for night: won best director: nominated best original screenplay: nominated 1980: the last metro: best foreign language film: nominated bafta awards year: title: category: result 1973: day for night: best film: won best direction: won 1977: close encounters of the third kind: best actor in a supporting role: nominated berlin international film festival year: title: category: result: ref 1976: small change: golden bear: nominated 1977: the man who loved women: nominated 1979: love on the run: nominated cannes film festival year: title: category: result 1959: the 400 blows: palme d'or: nominated best director: won 1964: the soft skin: palme d'or: nominated cesar awards year: title: category: result 1975: the story of adèle h.: best director: nominated 1980: the last metro: best film: won best director: won best writing: won 1983: confidentially yours: best director: nominated mar del plata international film festival year: title: category: result 1962: jules and jim: best film: nominated best director: won venice international film festival year: title: category: result 1966: fahrenheit 451: golden lion: nominated **+** les 400 coups (1960) with m. moussy (english translation: the 400 blows) **+** le cinema selon alfred hitchcock (1967 second edition 1983) (english translation: hitchcock and hitchcock/truffaut with the collaboration of helen g. scott) **+** les aventures d'antoine doinel (1970) (english translation: adventures of antoine doinel; translated by helen g. scott) **+** jules et jim (film script) (1971) (english translation: jules and jim; translated by nicholas fry) **+** la nuit americaine et le journal de fahrenheit 451 (1974) **+** le plaisir des yeux (1975) **+** l'argent de poche (1976) (english title: small change: a film novel; translated by anselm hollo) **+** l'homme qui aimait les femmes (1977) **+** les films de ma vie (1981) (english translation: the films in my life translated by leonard mayhew) **+** correspondance (1988) (english translation: correspondence 1945-1984; tanslated by gilbert adair released posthumously) **+** le cinema selon françois truffaut (1988) edited by anne gillain (released posthumously) **+** belle epoque (1996) with jean gruault (released posthumously) **+** françois truffaut award **+** paris belongs to us **+** two in the wave a 2010 documentary film about truffaut's relationship with jean-luc godard **+** la cinemathèque française will offer a full retrospective and an exhibition of françois truffaut's work in 2014 / 2015 // republic of bob