661. Le Dernier Metro

Le Dernier Metro
The Last Metro
1980
Directed by Francois Truffaut

Few people have probably seen the monstrosity I was subjected to a couple months ago called The Traveling Players.  The four hour long story followed a theater troupe around Greece as they performed shows during World War II.  It was completely dull and awful.  But The Last Metro is everything that film should have been.

During the occupation of Paris, the wife of a Jewish theater owner conceals her husband in the cellar as she attempts to put on a play to save the theater, acting as both the director and the lead actress.  To do this, she must avoid arousing the suspicion of the Gestapo while not bruising any male egos.  No easy feat.  Her lead man, Bernard Granger, attracts her attention, despite the fact that he is a shameless womanizer.

I'll start by saying I really enjoyed this film, but for some reason my criticisms are coming to mind more than the movie's merits.  For one thing, I wish the romance had been introduced earlier in the film.  I knew there was a love triangle in this film, but there was forty minutes to go and I felt like the two leads had barely interacted. The ending too left a bit to be desired.  I was really invested in the characters and wished that we knew more definitively what happened to them.

Still, like I said, I really did like this film.  It was fascinating to watch these people still try to live their normal lives, even in such insane conditions.  It made me wonder if they were heroic or just in denial.  Also, Catherine Deneuve is everything.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

One of Truffaut's most profitable productions.

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.

375. Jules et Jim

Jules et Jim
Jules and Jim
1961
Directed by Francois Truffaut

I remember watching this film a long time ago, back when my sister and I would have themed movie nights.  The theme of the night was French night (granted, it was not the most creative concept) and we watched French Kiss and this film while eating eclairs and french fries.   That was a good night…

Damn, now I really want eclairs.

Anyway, this is one of the movies that I really, really, really want to like, but I simply can't.  I am sure if there are any intellectuals out there reading this they are cringing.  Stop being so dramatic, intellectuals.

For one thing, I cannot stand the psycho bitch in this movie.  For those who don't know, this film is about the love triangle between Jules, his wife Catherine, and his best friend, Jim.  Now, I don't want to spoil the film for anybody, but suffice to say by the end of the film you will hate Catherine too.  Yes, we get it Truffaut, you hate women and we ruin men's lives.

The interesting part about this film is that Jules and Jim are both soldiers during World War II but are serving on different sides.  I wish that had been explored more rather than their relationship with cuckoo bird.

So overall I found the characters to be too annoying to give this film a good rating.  Of course, Catherine is nuts but what about the behavior between Jules and Jim.  Bros before hoes, man.

RATING: **---

Interesting Facts:

Jean Renoir wrote a letter to Truffaut telling him how much he enjoyed the movie.  Truffaut kept the letter with him for many years.

Jeanne Moreau funded a lot of the project.

358. Tirez sur la pianiste

Tirez sur la pianiste
Shoot the Piano Player
1960
Directed by Francois Truffaut

A woman's bare breasts were shown right before she has sex with her boyfriend.  We have definitely reached the 1950s, ladies and gentlemen.

This is the story of a pianist who gets dragged into his brothers' troubles with local gangsters. This greatly interferes with both his job as a piano player and his new love interest, Lena.  Will love triumph in the end or will our annoying siblings always get in the way of our happiness?  Watch to find out.

Surprisingly, this is actually a funny film, complete with cutaways and gags.  I haven't always clicked with the French style of humor but I did laugh out loud a couple of times.  Additionally, the dialogue is interesting and the conversations the four of them had about women were actually my favorite parts of the film.  The Book mentioned that the dialogue played out as it would in a Taratino movie and I wholeheartedly agree.

My one complaint is that I did have some problems following the plot.  This movie is based on a novel and I am sure if I read the book, lots of blanks would have been filled in.  The plots in noir films are always a bit convoluted but this film was so full of flashbacks and cutaways that I found myself especially confused.  There doesn't seem to be a decent plot synopsis on the internet of this film so I suppose the movie constitutes a rewatch.

I would still recommend giving it a try, but certainly not a favorite.

RATING: ***--

Interesting Facts:

Heavily improvised by the actors.

Bombed at the box office.

339. Les Quatre Cents Coups

Les Quatre Cents Coups
The 400 Blows
1959
Directed by François Truffaut

I wish that I had watched this film some time in middle school because this is one of the best representations of the plights of adolescence that I have ever seen.  Of course, this movie takes the problems to the extreme but I can remember being bullied by teachers and adults and feeling extremely helpless.  Now I can just reflect on how much it sucked being a preteen but I could have used something like this when I was still going through those problems.

Okay, rambling time is over.  Let's get to the film.  This is the story of Antoine Doinel, who is bullied by his teacher and stepfather and is misunderstood by his mother.  The film serves as a expose on the horrible treatment of juvenile delinquents in France.

I found this movie a lot easier to relate to Rebel Without A Cause.  To me, James Dean was just acting like a hot headed idiot which is not at all what Child Amanda was like.  However, in this movie, we get a realistic kid who is just really unhappy and is powerless to do anything about it.

Overall, a good movie and this is what my kids will be watching while other kids are watching Disney. They are going to be weird.

RATING: ****-

Interesting Facts:

The title of the film is a reference to the French idiom which means to raise hell.

The actors dubbed all of their lines.