Thursday, April 21, 2016

SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER (1960, FRANCE), JULES AND JIM (1962, FRANCE), FAHRENHEIT 451 (1966)


Jules and Jim

Now that I've seen all the Truffaut movies on the 1001 list, I'm trying to decide what I think of his catalog. There's not a bad film in the bunch, but I can't say I'm totally in love with his films either. But as I think about it, there really may be more to them than meets the eye. Jules and Jim is about an unusual love triangle that is really hard to describe but probably has a lot to say about the complexities of human interaction, desire and love without giving us any easy answers or an ending that has any kind of happy resolution.

Shoot the Piano Player
Shoot the Piano Player is probably my favorite Truffaut film. I like the homage to Hollywood gangster movies and also like the plight of the concert piano player who runs away from success after a tragedy to work in a dive and has lots of internal and external struggles. The movie also has a subtle sense of humor that I appreciated.

Fahrenheit 451
Fahrenheit 451 isn't on the 1001 list and isn't really a typical Truffaut film either. It is a Hollywood film based on the famous Ray Bradbury book about a future where books are outlawed and firemen start fires instead of put them out. Despite this, I still liked the way Truffaut presented the story even if the original book doesn't lend itself to easy cinematic interpretation. 

I've finished with the Truffaut films on the 1001 list, but I don't think I'm finished going through old Truffaut films. I guess that's a good sign.

2 comments:

  1. Some unusual movies from Truffaut for sure. I think my favourite is Day for Night (1973). I'm a sucker for films about film making.

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  2. I mentioned Shoot the Piano Player was my favorite Truffaut film. Day for Night is probably a close second.

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