Final thoughts on Truffaut

Well I hoped you enjoyed my month long tribute to Francois Truffaut. I must say I learned a lot about the man this month by finally looking into his writing, and looking critically at his films. In fact I would say I have become even a bigger fan of his work after this month, he was so passionate about filmmaking and had a new and unique philosophy that helped mature the artform forward, I hope you look forward to more of my Director's spotlight series in the months to come, stay tuned for September's announcement tomorrow.

Super Hero Movies the New Westerns?

Perhaps my favorite genre of all time is the western, I love them, I love everything about them, the myths, the themes, the larger than life heroes who aren't always perfect but try to live by a certain code. After saying that, I couldn't help but think of similarities with the super hero genre we have today. There seems to be a growing trend of creating more complex super hero films where the hero doesn't always win, and the morals and dilemmas turn more realistic. "The Dark Knight" is probably the latest and best of these new types of films, and now there is already talk about turning our man in blue Superman into a more darker character. The new "Watchmen" film is another example of the more complex super hero movie. The test is being put out now whether or not stories about people dressed up in Halloween outfits can be taken seriously.

This hasn't bee the first time this has happened when it has come to legitimize a genre, John Ford did the same thing with the western over 60 years ago with "Stagecoach", where he turned a genre which was mostly known as Saturday matinee serials into a complex character driven film. He even reinvented it further with "The Searchers" where the hero in that film was not necessarily someone you could easily root for. Other westerns by the likes of Anthony Mann dealt more with the psychological side of man vs. the elements. Other directors like Sam Peckinpah, Sergio Leone, and finally Clint Eastwood put their own spin on the western hero, whether they were mythical or realistic.

Let's not forget that fifty years ago we saw about as many westerns on television and film then that we do with super hero movies today. I find it interesting the parallels between these two genres and I'm curious to see where the super hero will go from here.

Two comedies means Twice the Fun! Or does it?

I

finally got around to see the two most anticipated comedies of the summer, "Pineapple Express" and "Tropic Thunder". One is a risque politically incorrect comedy about drugs, and the other is a risque politically incorrect comedy about the movie making industry. Here are my thoughts.

Pineapple Express: A funny action comedy from the Judd Apatow team, this time it's helmed by indie golden boy David Gordon Green. I have to admit I have yet to see any film that Green has directed and perhaps this is but a small taste to the talent this man has, but he had me entertained throughout, most of it has to do with the buddy/buddy relationship between Seth Rogen and James Franco. The film is like the pure fantasy of any guy who's been stoned and had an idea for a movie. The film plays on a lot of the old action cliches and I enjoyed the hell out of it. Franco is as good as people are saying and he should warrant an Oscar nom for Best Supporting Actor.

3.5 stars out of 4

Tropic Thunder: Perhaps the ads for the movie had me anticipating more which makes you think Ben Stiller is like a new savior of comedy. Your appreciation of this films has a lot to do with your tolerance for Stiller's antics. I always like him better when he's playing an actual character, but in this one he becomes caught up in his own parody. Luckily Robert Downey Jr. (Who also deserves nomination consideration) pulls this all too tired satire into a state of grace. The shots at Hollywood seem all to obvious, Stiller might have done better had he added a bit of subtlety.

2.5 stars out of 4

Jules and Jim: Portrait of Artists as Young Men

I re watched "Jules and Jim" last night and it was about the third time I've seen it. It's loved for so many reasons but for me I love it because as I'm watching these characters live their lives I can't help but wish I was a part of it. The film is set in the early 1900s, where two young artists meet and form a friendship that will last for the rest of their lives. Jules (Oskar Werner) is the somewhat more softly spoken and introspective one, while Jim (Henri Serre) is more outgoing and has better luck with the ladies. But soon a new element is added to the friendship that being Catherine (Jeanne Moreau). Jules is the first to love Catherine and the two are soon married and have a child. Jim is their guest and the three live a very bohemian lifestyle in a cottage where they talk about love, and art. Jules becomes too much of a bore for the free spirited Catherine and soon she fancies Jim. Jules convinces Jim to start seeing Catherine as it would be the only way he could keep her in his life.

I can admire "Jules and Jim" for many reasons, it always resembles a dream for me which is something Truffaut probably intended, it's a twenty year relationship with three people but it never gives us long drawn out scenes about what their motivations are and never dwindles too long on the character's history. Also despite dealing with taboo subject matter such as a menage a troi and ending it tragically, Truffaut keeps it light and romanticises the character's lifestyle.

What sticks out for me and something that makes this film a personal favorite of mine is the way Truffaut portrays these people as artists and how they have made their own personal private heaven living in a small cabin in the woods, discussing art, literature, and life. To me that's my idea of heaven. Currently I'm living with people who I all consider artists, and I have the best time when we all sit together talking about films, or theatre, or music or anything else that comes to mind. Seeing "Jules and Jim" is like seeing a reflection of a life I long for, and despite the romantic entanglements with one woman it is a very ideal lifestyle.

"Jules and Jim" was adapted from a book Henri-Pierre Roche who was 73 when he wrote it, in contrast, Truffaut was not yet 30 when he directed the film and he approached it as a challenge, he would re-read the book until he memorized every section and he corresponded with the author many times so it would become a faithful adaption. It is considered today in being one of the major films of the french new wave and some would say it was Truffaut's crowning achievement.

"Jules and Jim" will always be special as something that can reflect something in my life and I can view it as if it were a pleasant dream.

Truffaut's Prophecy: The Film of Tomorrow

Francois Truffaut has become my new obsession, and it's not just because I chose him as my director of the month, but I ma now just starting to understand just what he was all about. I'm not just watching Truffaut's films but I'm also reading some of his old essays and criticisms on films and I find them fascinating. For those of you who don't know, before Truffaut was a filmmaker, he was an established film critic for the french magazine "Cahier de Cinema".

This is an excerpt from an essay written by Truffaut that got me thinking. It was first published in 1957. "The film of tomorrow seems to me therefore more personal even than a novel, individual and autobiographical, like a confession or like a personal diary. Young filmmakers will express themselves in the first person and will tell us what happened to them: it might be the story of their first love or of their most recent one, their finding a political consciousness, a travel journal, an illness, their military service, their marriage, their most recent vacation, and it will necessarily be likeable because it will be true and new."

"The film of tomorrow will not be made by functionaries behind a camera but by artists for whom shooting a film constitutes a formidable and exalting andventure. the film of tomorrow will resemble the person who made it, and the number of spectators will be proportionate to the number of friends the filmmaker has."

"The film of tomorrow will be an act of love."

Well it's been over 50 years since Truffaut made those statements and I am now wondering if he was correct but first to be clear, let me mention that Truffaut was talking about the state of french cinema and comparing it to Hollywood which he noticed a change into a more personal way of filmmaking. In many ways I agree, yet I'm not convinced that film has made that leap into the Utopia that Truffaut describes. Yes there are films that are made today that are deeply personal and keep to the intimate side, I particularily was impressed just last year with the amount of smaller more thought provoking projects. For me the closest Truffaut's vision was realized was in the seventies where Hollywood started taking risks and created some of the most persoanl and deeply felt films ever. However I also would believe that Hollywood has taken a step back.

We are currently living in a time where films have become less about art and more about big business, more about serving mass audiences with short attention spans and less about serving people who want to breath it all in. As films like "The Dark Knight" are coming out and breaking records across the world, I don't see this ending anytime soon. I'm not saying there isn't room for those bigger films particularily one as well crafted as "The Dark Knight", but the danger is in losing an artistic and personal perspective in our films, soon all we may be left with are films with cool shots, swift pacing, and "the latest in digital technology." How can we expect to have a new and interesting brand of filmmakers if this is all they are exposed to.

So tell me what you think. Do you think we are living in the film world Truffaut had envisioned over 50 years ago, or have we taken a step back? What would Truffaut himself think of the state Hollywood films were in if he were alive today?

The Art of Dennis Wilson

I've been obsessed lately with Dennis Wilson, if I haven't mentioned before in this blog I am a huge fan of The Beach Boys, but it wasn't till late in life that I realized that the leader of the group Brian Wilson wasn't the only songwriting genius. I recently just listened to the now digitally remastered version of Dennis Wilson's only solo album "Pacific Ocean Blue" which many consider to be the best solo album that was released by a Beach Boy. The CD also consists of the "Bamboo" sessions which was supposed to be Wilson's follow-up, but he died before it was finished.

However along with being a talented musical artist, he is known in the film land as the mechanic in one of my favorite "new classics" I've discovered recently "Two-Lane Blacktop". The film follows a cross-country car race between James Taylor's Driver along with Wilson's mechanic against Warren Oates' G.T.O. Laurie Bird appears as the Girl who hitches a ride with both drivers. It's a great film, one of the best of the second golden age known as the seventies. Although Oates is known to have walked away with the film, my favorite performance was probably Wilson. Although both he and Taylor are both amateur actors, Wilson brings a very natural charisma to the screen, he doesn't say much, and most of what he has to say has to do with the car they are driving, but I wonder if he realized just how good he looked on screen.

In the early years, The Beach Boys themselves were always sold as clean-cut, and soon became passe in the midst of the more drug influenced psychidelic period of the late sixties. Despite Brian's own troubles with drugs and alcohol, Dennis was the real rebel of the group, he was the only actual surfer among the group, he drove fast cars and was known to be a womanizer. He lived what The Beach Boys were singing about. Then there was also that infamous story of him being friends with Charles Manson before he became responsible for instigating mass murders with his "Family".

With the summer winding down, I just thought it was the best time to look back at one of rock musics unsung heroes. Now with the recent releases of "Two-Lane Blacktop", and "Pacific Ocean Blue", it's nice to see Dennis Wilson finally getting his due.

Antoine Doinel: The Truffaut Hero

I've been immersed in the films of Francois Truffaut lately but the most notable films I've been viewing by him have to do with his alter ego Antoine Doinel. The films that include Truffaut's famous character are "The 400 Blows", "Antoine and Collette", "Stolen Kisses", "Bed and Board", and "Love on the Run".

Perhaps the most famous film of all of these is "The 400 Blows" which shows Doinel as a young boy who gets into constant trouble and has to deal with his sometimes abusive parents and school masters. In the film Doinel is a boy who cannot be held down or conformed into the type of person he's supposed to be, it leads him to a path of rebellion which soon plants him into a reform school. The film ends in what is one of the most famous closing shots in film history, that of Doinel who has just escaped the school and runs all the way to the edge of the ocean. He looks back at the camera and the film freezes on a close up of his face. Truffaut could've ended the story right there letting the audience make up their own minds on what would become of young Doinel but he had more plans for our hero.

The next film "Antoine and Colette" is a short which shows Antoine now a young man who lives and works independently. It is here Truffaut introduces for the first time one of Antoine's many love interests, her name is Colette. Antoine is the one who loves Colette but all through the film we get the sense that she thinks only of him as a friend. Even though the film has many moments of charming humour and sweetness, it ends on a sad note with Colette showing up with another man and leaving Antoine in an awkward state alone at her place with her parents. It's a somewhat poignant statement of unrequited love. This film also introduces Doinel working in a record making factory which was the first in what would become a running gag of his many odd jobs.

The next film of Doinel's adventures is "Stolen Kisses" which may be the most lighthearted and amusing tale of all of Truffaut's films. Here Doinel is dishonorably discharged from the army and soon becomes a night clerk at a hotel although he doesn't stay there long, he soon gets involved in a detective agency. This also where we get to meet Christine the recent girl of Antoine's affection. Antoine loves Christine but she does play hard to get probably because she is more mature, but when Antoine is assigned to go undercover at a shoe store for a man who wants to know why his employees don't like him, he falls for the bosses wife whom Antoine describes as pure perfection. After a brief encounter with the wife he soon decides to be with Christine and the film ends on a very curious note when the young couple are approached by a man who throughout the film had been following Christine. He confesses his love for her which leads the couple perplexed. Christine says "He's mad" which leads Antoine to say "He must be". They walk off.

The next film is "Bed and Board" which finds Antoine now married to Christine. Antoine now has his own business dying flowers and Christine teaches the violin to some of the kids in the neighbourhood. We see the couple are happy and in love and Christine soon becomes pregnant and they have a son. Antoine's business fails and he gets a job at a manufacturing company where he gets to play with models. It's here where he begins an affair with a Japanese woman which leads to a break up with Christine. Soon Antoine becomes bored with his fling and wants Christine back. The film ends with a touching reconciliation over the phone. This apparently was supposed to be Truffaut's final Doinel film but ten years later he had one more story to tell....

"Love on the Run" now finds Doinel approaching middle age, he is divorcing Christine and is now in love with a much younger woman named Sabine. Antoine has become a published author and has written a book about his many romances with women which brings his former flame Colette back into his life. The film contains many flashbacks of past films as Antoine tries to piece together and examine his many loves and losses. The film ends happily with Antoine hopefully now with his one true love.

For any fan of Truffaut, the Antoine Doinel series is important to view. I can't quite pick which one is my favorite even though I was a little disappointed with "Love on the Run" which was filmed late in Truffaut's career and just seemed to be a brief summation of his alter ego character. The flashbacks seemed distracting and didn't really move the film forward, and as a fan of Christine I was upset to see the couple getting a divorce. Christine (played by Claude Jade in the three films) seemed to be the one who had Antoine's number, she was the one who understood him the best, we saw that at the very beginning in "Stolen Kisses" and could see the hurt when he betrayed her in "Bed and Board". However I'm not knocking the film, it is great entertainment and I especially liked the end which is very romantic and sweet.

It's the romantic in Antoine Doinel that makes him a character to root for, he's constantly looking for love which can redeem him after he acts like a jerk sometimes. I could see a lot of Truffaut in this character even though I admit I know very little about what the man was like. Perhaps the one that can be separated from the rest is "The 400 Blows" which is less about Antoine's love life and more about his childhood. That film probably stands with Ozu's "I was Born But...", Spielberg's "E.T." and Truffaut's own "Small Change" as one of the best films about the world of children. "Stolen Kisses" seems to be Truffaut in his element, I think it is perhaps the best film that shows just the kind of man Antoine will be and probably shows off his charm the best. The ambiguous ending is sort of a foreshadow of the love life Antoine is destined to have. "Bed and Board" is a film I think is sorely underrated, it's a tale of young love and early marriage. Truffaut becomes very inventive the moment Christine learns of Antoine's affair, it's a striking image when Antoine comes home to find Christine dolled up to look Japanese, and is another example of Tuffaut's use of image to tell the story.

"Bed and Board" also has one of the most poignant moments in the whole Doinel series when Christine gets in to a cab and says good bye to Antoine, he moves to her and says "You are my sister, my daughter, my mother." Christine says back "I wanted to be your wife". It's a heartbreaking moment, and Christine could've gone out of Antoine's life forever after that scene, but Truffaut brings her back with a sweet reconciliation.

Antoine Doinel is portrayed in all five films by Truffaut favorite Jean-Pierre Leaud who became a primary face in the world of french new wave. He appeared in many other Truffaut films notably "Day for Night" where he portrays a young actor and Truffaut is the director. You get the sense in that film the bond the two had for eachother, it is probably one of the greatest actor/director partnerships ever assembled. Leaud's gift in Doinel is simply not just showing he's a scoundrel but showing him as a sympathetic somewhat naive romantic, who becomes someone we want to root for and someone who deserves his happy ending.

I call Antoine Doinel Truffaut's hero because he seems to be someone Truffaut himself can root for. His love of life and wanting something more can sometimes become a selfish pursuit but he has the courage to look for it, which is something to be admired, it's the romantic in him and on a personal note I'd like to think there's a little of it in me.