567. La Nuit americaine

La Nuit américaine
Day for Night
1973
Directed by Francois Truffaut

Attention, everyone.  Not only is this our 567th film, but it can be found on page 567 in The Book.  This is weirdly exciting to me.  I have spent way too much time alone with The Book.

The plot is centered on the making of the melodrama "Meet Pamela".  There is not much of a cohesive storyline; the film is mostly made up of vignettes on filmmaking.  This includes a segment about a washed up actress who can't remember her lines, Jacqueline Bisset just being beautiful all over the place, and a lengthy shot of a cat eating off a tray.  The title "Day for Night" refers to the filmmaking technique where they shoot sequences outdoors in daylight using special film stock to make it appear as if it is night.  This film itself exposes the artificiality of cinema.  Mind=blown.

I can see why people might regard this film as a bit of a bore, but I really found myself enjoying it.  The acting is absolutely superb, although since many of the people were probably playing themselves, heavy praise might be unwarranted.  I find filmmaking fascinating enough that I could just sit and watch directors do their job all day.  However, if you are not as boring as me, this could be a major snooze.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Dedicated to Lillian and Dorothy Gish.

Truffaut's character wore a hearing aid.  Truffaut explained that so many people ask a director questions that it is easier to pretend you're hard of hearing.  My aunt has been employing a similar strategy.