37. Francois Truffaut
FRANCOIS TRUFFAUT
THE 400 BLOWS, JULES AND JIM, SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER, DAY FOR NIGHT
Truffaut’s rise to fame as a film critic was forcefully overshadowed by his talent as a film director. One of the foremost voices of the nouvelle vague, Truffaut created films both experimental and immensely watchable. He worked outside of cinematic conventions almost for fun, to see what happened. The results are some of the most touching, happy-go-lucky films of all time.
See the full list HERE.
I think happy-go-lucky hardly describes Jules and Jim or Shoot the Piano Player. Unfortunately, Truffaut has been overshadowed by others of his wave, such as Godard, though Truffaut was the first, most consistent, and truest of that wave of French filmmakers (not including Melville, who was technically of an earlier generation, though a huge inspiration to the new wave). Unlike Godard, who was certainly daring and amazing in that, Truffaut knew when to just play it straight, and when to be innovative. Subtlety, as usual, has been overlooked, and unfortunately so, for it grants a wealth of value not usually found in more brazen artists.