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Stolen Portraitsx$79.92
  (2 reviews)
Best Price: $79.92
This documentary about the life and career of the late French master, François Truffaut, offers a lot of intriguing information that draws striking parallels between the stories he told in film and the ones he lived in real life. The film goes to great lengths to find the truth about his long-missing father and to tell relate his attempts to track down his real dad. Still, despite interviews with most of the stars and contemporaries who knew him best, the man at the center of this retrospective kept himself too deeply hidden to be able to truly explore what led to the amazing body of work he left behind. --Marshall Fine
UPC: 720917011929
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Customer Reviews
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Incomplete Portrait
By on 2000-06-09
Rarely-seen photos and personal reminiscences color much of this occasionally dry but often compelling 1993 French documentary on the life and work of landmark film director Francois Truffaut. Most of the interviewed participants are those one would expect - close colleagues and family members. However, several vital figures are conspicuously absent; despite appearances from fellow New Wave directors Eric Rohmer and Claude Chabrol, Truffaut's friend (and equally important filmmaker) Jean-Luc Godard is nowhere to be seen. Gerard Depardieu (who starred in two Truffaut films) speaks; leading ladies Fanny Ardant and Marie-France Pisier are also included. Jeanne Moreau (who starred in Truffaut's "Jules and Jim" and had a longterm relationship with the director), however, is not. Neither is equally legendary Catherine Deneuve, who was also an offscreen paramour and onscreen lead in two Truffaut films. Perhaps the most conspicuous absence is that of actor Jean-Pierre Leaud, who for five films inhabited the role of Truffaut's alter ego, Antoine Doinel, from adolescence to adulthood. The father-son bond between actor and director lasted for 25 years (until Truffaut's untimely death). With the film's apparent focus on Truffaut's paternal manner with some of his actors and the director's nonexistent relationship with his own parents, Leaud's experiences and observations would have undoubtedly provided further insight. Infrequently seen footage, including Leaud's screen-test for "The 400 Blows", and of Truffaut presenting an award to Alfred Hitchcock, nearly make up for the notable absentees.
For Truffaut fans only
By AO5M9LKUYZ5UB on 2000-08-27
This movie is very well titled. This is by no means a complete portrait of Francois Truffaut. It is only a few "Stolen Portraits" strung together.Much of the footage here is quite interesting and informative. What is most noticeable about the film, however, is not what is included but what is missing. A previous reviewer remarked on the notable absence of Jean-Pierre Leaud. To that I would also ask, since Truffaut was so noted for his work with children, why no interview with the grown-up Jean-Pierre Cargol from the "Wild Child"? Or with any of the kids from "Small Change?" And what I wouldn't have given for an interview with Isabelle Adjani! There is one brief scene where Truffaut and Cargol are seen talking between takes of "The Wild Child." It is the only scene in this movie where we see Truffaut being Truffaut, and it leaves you wanting much, much more. Still, I give the movie three stars because it is a valuable reference for anyone who considers themself a major Truffaut fan. However, the movie should really come with the warning "For Truffaut fans only" because if you are asking yourself "Who is Francois Truffaut?"...this movie is not a good introduction. Go watch "The 400 Blows" instead.
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