Revisit: Day for Night

A Warner Brothers Picture 1973

Directed by François Truffaut

Writing credits:
Jean-Louis Richard
Suzanne Schiffman
François Truffaut

Tension builds as lives collide during the making of a film titled "Je vous presente Pamela"



Truffaut's cinema du cinema reminds me a lot of an Altman picture - huge ensemble cast, lots of over-lapping dialogue, short snippets of plot dragged across small scenes of character interaction. Truffaut generally works better with a smaller cast and more focused narrative, however; his cinematic tricks are few and far inbetween here, and most of what is unique about the film gets lost between moments that feel highly scripted. It's interesting, but only sustains momentum for an act or so.