Antoine Doinel, The Marvelous Star

[V-Adore]

On a now-sadly-locked thread, jough mentioned Truffaut's Antoine Doinel films -- The 400 Blows and subsequent films dealing with the same character. I just saw 400 Blows a month ago, and I'd love to continue with the series, but I confess to having little other Truffaut experience and thus being mildly bewildered. Where do I go from here, gentle readers? What to do with Truffaut's semi-hemi-demi-autobiography?

[Edit: Apparently I am Lie Bot now. I imagine this happened at 325 posts. How odd.]

[jough]

Well, Stolen Kisses, besides being the next full length film in the Doinel series, is also a very excellent film.

Sadly, the others aren't *quite* so good.  They get a little too "precious."

But if you're a Truffaut virgin, "La Nuit American" (or "Day For Night," which it's often called in the U.S. market, which isn't close to a direct translation of the title) is very funny, it's about making movies which I suppose is what all of the Nouvelle Vague artistes' films were about, when you get down to it.

The term "Les Quatre Cents Coups" (400 Blows) is idiomatic for "getting fucked around by life."  It's a very sweet film, though, in many ways, and for a bildungsroman (bildungscinema?) and what is arguably the first nouvelle vague, or French New Wave film, it's well worth seeing, and rewarding in more ways than to satisfy your need to see "great" films.


P.S. I'm starting a new film website project to study "art" films and other cinematically worthy films.  If anyone is interested in a non-bulletin-board based discussion of some worthy films, PM me.

[FeeReep]

Avoid Love on the Run like you owe it money.

[jough]

I've heard the last two weren't so good - I haven't gotten to Love on the Run yet, but I'll watch all five films.  I can forgive Truffaut some missteps.  And of course I have to find out what becomes of M. Doinel.

[V-Adore]

See... yeah, if I decide to do these films, it would be all about the character. Not that Truffaut can't make a mean film (in both senses of "mean"), but hey. Go Antoine.

[Limmo]

Alriight, while we're on the subject of multiple films that follow one character: I've read great things about Satyajit Ray's Apu trilogy.  Anyone here a fan?  Worth checking out?

[jough]

I saw the Apu trilogy in the theatre back in 1996 (when Scorsese's company was getting all of these classic films back into the art houses) and all three parts are great.  This is one of those trilogies where the sum is truly greater than its parts.

They're all coming to DVD soon from CTS, but not in a set and with I believe no special features.  Sounds like a missed opportunity to me.

[Limmo]

good to know. thanks jough.  i'll rent 'em at my local video place.