Jean-Louis Trintignant and Francoise Fabien in My Night at Maud’s. 1969. France. Written and directed by Eric Rohmer
These notes accompany screenings of Eric Rohmer’s </em>My Night at Maud’s</a> on May 14, 15, and 16 in Theater 3.</p>
At first glance, going from last week’s film (Night of the Living Dead) to this week’s (My Night at Maud’s) may seem like a journey from the ridiculous to the sublime, but not so fast.
Julie Christie in Fahrenheit 451. 1966. Great Britain. Directed by Francois Truffaut
These notes accompany screenings of Francois Truffaut’s </em>Fahrenheit 451</a> on April 2, 3, and 4 in Theater 3.</p>
By the mid-1960s, I had already made up my mind that Francois Truffaut (1932–1984) was my favorite of the French New Wave directors, who had transcended their roots as film critics.
Eiji Okada and Emmanuelle Riva in Heroshima, mon amour. 1959. France. Directed by Alain Resnais
These notes accompany screenings of Alain Resnais’ </em>Night and Fog and Heroshima, mon amour</a> on August 7, 8, and 9 in Theater 3.</p>
If one includes the 8mm films that Alain Resnais, now 91 years old, made as an adolescent, he has one of the longest careers of any director in film history.
Jean-Paul Belmondo, Anna Karina, and Jean-Claude Brialy in a publicity still for A Woman Is a Woman. 1961. France. Directed by Jean-Luc Godard
These notes accompany screenings of Jean-Luc Godard’s </em>A Woman Is a Woman</a> on July 31 and August 1 in Theater 2.</p>
As Breathless deconstructs the Hollywood gangster film
Shoot the Piano Player. 1960. France. Directed by Francois Truffaut
These notes accompany screenings of Pierre Etaix’s Happy Anniversary and Francois Truffaut’s </em>Shoot the Piano Player</a> on July 24, 25, and 26 in Theater 3.</p>
Pierre Etaix, now 84, has almost single-handedly kept the concept of physical comedy alive in France (the legacy of Max Linder and Rene Clair)
Jean-Paul Belmondo and Jean Seberg in Breathless. 1960. France. Directed by Jean-Luc Godard
These notes accompany screenings of Jean-Luc Godard’s </em>Breathless</a> on July 3 and 4 in Theater 2.</p>
To give Jean-Luc Godard’s A bout de soufflé (Breathless) its proper place in film history would require a great deal more space than is available here
Paris Belongs to Us. 1961. France. Directed by Jacques Rivette
These notes accompany screenings of Jacques Rivette’s </em>Paris Belongs to Us</a> on June 12, 13, and 14 in Theater 3.</p>
Jacques Rivette, who recently celebrated his 85th birthday—and is still active—seems to me to be one of the most uneven, and certainly less prolific, of the major figures to come out of the French New Wave.
The 400 Blows. 1959. France. Directed by Francois Truffaut
These notes accompany screenings of Francois Truffaut’s </em>The 400 Blows</a> on June 5, 6, and 7 in Theater 3.</p>
In the interest of full disclosure, let me make it clear at the outset that of all the directors who came along
The Cousins. 1959. France. Directed by Claude Chabrol
These notes accompany screenings of Claude Chabrol’s </em>The Cousins</a> on May 15, 16, and 17 in Theater 3.</p>
When Andrew Sarris published Interviews with Film Directors in 1967, he could already write that Claude Chabrol (1930–2010) had “quickly become one of the forgotten figures of the nouvelle vague.”
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