Quote:
Originally Posted by neo78956
Seeing as how you're a huge fan of Godard, I'm curious as to what your thoughts on Truffaut are. Both are generally considered the founding fathers and most important filmmakers of the French New Wave, so there are bound to be comparisons.
|
The comparisons are strictly during their earlier work. Once the two began receiving funding for their films, Truffaut I felt stayed true to his style (but also received American support financially for his films) while Godard began going through major political changes to the point he was alienating everyone that was once close to him. To put it plainly, he became a political propagandist.
The two were like Lennon/McCartney but the fact is that Truffaut was consistent, Godard was the revolutionary. Truffaut admired cinema and its auteurs, Godard had contempt towards cinema towards himself and his fellow filmmakers.
And of course 1973, was the year the two had their most public split. We know from his films that 1968 and on...Godard was not the same type of director that people knew via the French New Wave. He lost support from critics and even several of his former friends/filmmakers.
It's one thing that he had his own Super-8 video equipment but the fact is, unlike Truffaut, he was not getting any money. So, probably the most agressive thing he did was to criticize Truffaut on his film "La nuit americaine" (Day for the Night). Sent Truffaut a letter and called him a "liar" for leaving things out of his film and to make amends, Truffaut should send him money to make a film in response. (it's important to note that he even sent a letter for the film's star and an actor he had worked with, Jean-Pierre Leaud).
What Godard received was a 20-page letter of 15 years of frustrations that Truffaut had with Godard.
Jean-Luc.
So as not to oblige you to read this disagreeable letter to the end, I begin with the essential: I will not enter your coproduction in your film.
Second, I am returning your letter to Jean-Pierre Leaud: I have read it and find it disgusting. It is because of this that I fell tha the time has come to tell you, at length, that in my view you behave like shit.
What he wrote to Leaud was asking for money. Truffaut felt it was disgusting that a director would ask a poor actor for financial help. Truffaut had said that if the letter to Leaud was not included, he would have helped out Godard.
In this 20-page letter, Truffaut went all out and of course, kept calling Godard "shit" to his unprofessionalism of trying to seduce his female actresses, not showing up to film festivals when he promisted to attend, calling Pierre Braunberger a "Dirty Jew" (interesting to note: that even his 70's filmmaking partner Gorin, when Gorin tried to recoup the money he had made with Godard, Godard made a similar comment which ticked Gorin off).
But in the letter, Truffaut continued:
"Anyone who has a different opinion from yours is a creep, even if the opinion you hold in June is not the same one you held in April. In 1973, your prestige is intact, which is to say, when you walk into an office, everyone studies your face to see if you are in a good mood."
You have never succeeded in loving anyone or in helping anyone. Other than by shoving a few banknotes at them.
Truffaut then added in the letter of all the times he went to bat for Godard, helped him financially especially in "Contempt" when Truffaut was asked to replace Godard and didn't. Telling Godard that he was jealous of him and including a letter when Godard demanded money from him for the production of "Two or Three Things".
And ended with:
"In any case, we no longer agree about anything."
Needless to Godard continued his tirade towards Truffaut and even at his death, there were no signs of Godard letting up.
"I am amazed that people who lack ideas for new films (including some old friends like Truffaut, Rivette, who don't have any more ideas than the guys whom they denounced twenty years ago), continue to adhere to the one and self-same system of filmmaking, which is easy to describe: a sum of so many million, multiplied by so many weeks, multiplied by a certain number of people."
In 1977, he did a talk with students and reviewed his career and said that he was relieved that his films after "Breathless" were financial failures. In his mind, he felt it kept him from becoming what he thought Truffaut had become: someone who "Talks to nobody, except to Polanski". Godard felt that Polanski and Altman films "pretend to be intellectual when it's pure merchandise". He felt their style was dishonest. He felt that Truffaut was part of that group.
I do feel that in 1973, that letter stung Godard to his core. No one would dare tell him how they felt about him in such a manner, nor use the past as evidence to show how Godard was to them and he used his friendship. I think it was stinging to him because it was Truffaut. The man who has helped him so much.
Needless to say, both men are apples and oranges when it comes to their approach to filmmaking. Truffaut is right that how Godard is one month, he was different the other. Godard was complex and I think that's why we love his films.
Godard inspired filmmakers with his attitude and doing things his way even if it angered his producers. While Truffaut, I admire him as a filmmaker and also his appreciation to the artistic work of filmmakers.
But I think the way how people have used the Lennon/McCartney comparison works for Truffaut and Godard. These two created films that were loved by many, films that were even despised by critics at times and both were rebellious as well. But both veered into opposite paths and there was no way this relationship could ever be repaired.
note: Source of information is from Richard Brody's "Everything is Cinema: The Working Life of Jean-Luc Godard".
All countries
Argentina
Austria
Belgium
Brazil
Bulgaria
Chile
China
Colombia
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Estonia
Denmark
Finland
Greece
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
India
Latvia
Lithuania
Malaysia
New Zealand
Norway
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Romania
Russia
Singapore
South Africa
South Korea
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan
Thailand
Turkey
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
Linear Mode
