What a unique form of work to be on a movie set! This film made me want to sign up.
Here we have French director Francois Truffaut -- "Je ne vis que pour le cinéma" -- playing himself with patience and focus as he orchestrates the myriad pieces of a romance (Plot: "She realizes the boy she's married is a pale reflection of his father").
Shooting a movie is like "crossing the Wild West by stagecoach" Truffaut says early on. "You start out hoping for a nice trip, but soon you wonder if you'll ever reach your destination."
It's a daunting undertaking, with one's raw material a collection of humans each inhabiting his own personal stage. There's leading lady Julie (Jacqueline Bisset), who's just gotten past a nervous breakdown -- is she ready for the role? Another actress drinks a bit too much -- in real life, her son is ill and soon will die. Then there's the male character obsessed with a crew gal who callously sleeps around. And the technical guy whose jealous wife follows him everywhere -- "she makes life hell for him, but he's too weak to dump her."
Despite such minidramas, Truffaut must come up with a seamless whole. And that means being creative and spontaneous. Central casting's cutie-pie cat hasn't eaten for three days, but still won't lick a bowl of cream on cue. Grab another feline and see if it will perform!
The movie's script is ever-evolving. Julie wants to prepare for her next day's shoot -- only her lines haven't been written yet. No worries -- at some point, they're slipped under her hotel-room door.
The heart of this movie arrives in Truffaut's fatherly counsel to a histrionic young player about to chuck his career.
"It's the work that matters," he says. "No one's personal life runs smoothly -- that's only in the movies...Movies move along like a train in the night, and people like you and me are only happy in our work."
Truly, wise words for us all.
And a coda from the winsome, enigmatic character Julie: "Thanks to him, I know I can change my life."
Here we have French director Francois Truffaut -- "Je ne vis que pour le cinéma" -- playing himself with patience and focus as he orchestrates the myriad pieces of a romance (Plot: "She realizes the boy she's married is a pale reflection of his father").
Shooting a movie is like "crossing the Wild West by stagecoach" Truffaut says early on. "You start out hoping for a nice trip, but soon you wonder if you'll ever reach your destination."
It's a daunting undertaking, with one's raw material a collection of humans each inhabiting his own personal stage. There's leading lady Julie (Jacqueline Bisset), who's just gotten past a nervous breakdown -- is she ready for the role? Another actress drinks a bit too much -- in real life, her son is ill and soon will die. Then there's the male character obsessed with a crew gal who callously sleeps around. And the technical guy whose jealous wife follows him everywhere -- "she makes life hell for him, but he's too weak to dump her."
Despite such minidramas, Truffaut must come up with a seamless whole. And that means being creative and spontaneous. Central casting's cutie-pie cat hasn't eaten for three days, but still won't lick a bowl of cream on cue. Grab another feline and see if it will perform!
The movie's script is ever-evolving. Julie wants to prepare for her next day's shoot -- only her lines haven't been written yet. No worries -- at some point, they're slipped under her hotel-room door.
The heart of this movie arrives in Truffaut's fatherly counsel to a histrionic young player about to chuck his career.
"It's the work that matters," he says. "No one's personal life runs smoothly -- that's only in the movies...Movies move along like a train in the night, and people like you and me are only happy in our work."
Truly, wise words for us all.
And a coda from the winsome, enigmatic character Julie: "Thanks to him, I know I can change my life."