FRAnçois truffaut: a lesson of cinema

Under the direction of Bernard Bastide

(Denoël, 271 pages, 2021)

This beautiful volume, enriched with archive material and illustrations, gathers a series of interviews, that François Truffaut gave in 1981, when he was forty-nine years old and had already directed twenty-one films.

Each chapter is dedicated to a movie directed by this world-renowned legend of cinema and forefront of the French New Wave—from the most low-key films to his international masterpieces, like Jules and Jim, which made a whole generation dream, and inspired directors around the world. Only one work is missing, namely, the last production he made one year before his death: Vivement Dimanche !

Previously unpublished in France, these interviews showcase a candid and unexpected image of Truffaut. The director judges and criticizes his own choices on past films, talks about the working relationships and friendships he developed with some actors and actresses, provides his own interpretation of the books he read and adapted, and shares the sorrow he felt watching his old films featuring deceased friends.

(Re)discovering François Truffaut and his art through his own words is a one-of-a-kind experience, as it not only presents a privileged perspective on backstage anecdotes and details Truffaut’s filmmaking process, but this book also lets readers enter the universe and the mind of this iconic filmmaker, learning more about his sources of inspiration, and the pivotal epoch he lived in.

 François Truffaut was a French film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave.

 Bernard Bastide is a journalist, film scholar, and teacher, and has published many books.