Review of Day for Night (1973) by Deering R — 30 Jan 2008
Well, this one caught me off guard. Got it through Netflix just looking for interesting stuff and realizing that I hadn?t seen very much Truffaut.
It?s fascinating and non-standard in the extreme. The film revolves around the shooting of a film called ?Pamela? and all the relationships and lives of the various people in front of and behind the camera.
Truffaut (the director) also appears as the director of the film, but he is not the central character. If I had to say a given character was central, it?s the character of Julie Baker - played by Jacqueline Bisset - and the young actor who plays her new husband in the film, Jean-Pierre Aumont. The basic concept of ?Pamela? is that Bisset falls in love with her new husband?s father and how that affects their lives.
The actual story of Pamela is of almost no consequence, as the film has a non-linear approach to that plot-line (putting it together as they film it out of sequence) but the interactions and relationships of the performers and technicians occur in linear fashion of course.
It?s quite dense, and I?m betting the multiple viewings will benefit. There is a recurring dream sequence that seems a little out of place until some cursory research reveals that its a story from Truffaut?s own childhood.
The film is simple and complex at the same time, and both intellectually and emotionally moving. I?d be very interested in showing it to someone who isn?t involved with cinema and see if it translates. As an actor, I approach it with a certain level of familiarity and forgiveness? Even though it has a 100% RT rating, those are all film critics - who also approach film from a perspective very different from the standard film goer.
This review of Day for Night (1973) was written by Deering R on 30 Jan 2008.
Day for Night has generally received very positive reviews.
Was this review helpful?
