The British Film Institute (BFI) and the Intistut Français have created a retrospective to celebrate the leading figure of the Nouvelle Vague (New Wave), François Truffaut. Since January, films, books and events are able until February at the BFI Southbank.
A tribune for the leading of the Nouvelle Vague
Jules and Jim, Day for night, The 400 Blows… It’s hard to define the leading of the nouvelle vague in an only film. BFI in a partnership with Institut Français have made a selection of the best Truffaut’s films, with a retrospective of François Truffaut and his love for the cinema. The tribute started in January and will continue until February (6 February is Truffaut birthdays). Today, François Truffaut would be 90 years old.
An article “Comment François est-il devenu Truffaut ?”, explains that Truffaut started his career as a film critic on Cahiers du cinéma. He worked in a few magazines as a journalist writer, and have published the article “Une certaine tendance du cinéma français” that gives to him an image of the most film critic provocateur. He decided to continue as a scenarist and became a filmmaker aged 27 years old only. As actor, he played principally in his own films: 400 Blows, Two English Girls, The Green Room, etc. He appears also in a Spielberg film’s, the Close Encounters of the Third Kind in 1977 as a French scientist.
Why have BFI made this tribute ?
This tribute introduces the French cinema in the UK, and make a tribute to the French nouvelle vague pioneer. Truffaut didn't just change the cinema. He loved the cinema, and BFI have choice to show how this cinephilia shared the love of films, inspired by other lovers as Hitchcock and Renoir.
He was influenced by their cinema, and for this tribute, the events are separated by categories of his inspiration: THE RENOIR TRUFFAUT and THE HITCHCOCK TRUFFAUT. A cycle is dedicated also to his fictional character: Antoine Doidel. This fictional character inspired by his life, his hard childhood, is present during a period of his cinema.
During the two months of the tribute, a selection of Truffaut’s film will be available on BFI Player and a selection will screen around the UK. Other events like TALKS, have taken place in BFI: “Philosophical Screens: Jules and Jim”, a talk about jealousy and possession with the Professor Fiona Handyside (University of Exeter).
Other events coming soon (see the BFI screening section in website) as “The representation of Women in Truffaut’s films” with Ginette Vincendeau of King’s College London in 18 February.
BFI Southbank
The BFI Southbank, before National Film Theatre was created in 1951 and relaunched as BFI Southbank in 2007.
A mediatheque, a library, a restaurant and bar, a shop and a cinema are available in this building in the southern end of the Waterloo Bridge and River Thames in London. It’s possible to work for free in the library, with a great books selection about British cinema, but not only, a variety of authors are able for local consultation or for home.
A film selection is made monthly to shows the cinema of author, the classics and the best movies, not accessible in every film screen. This month, the honour is for François Truffaut with a selection of his best movies. Jules and Jim is the most screened, but it’s possible to watch L’enfant sauvage, 400 blows or The last metro.
All screenings are available on BFI website
