27° TORINO FILM FESTIVAL

LA NUIT AMÉRICAINE

THE AMERICAN NIGHT
by François Truffaut
Country: France, Italy
Year: 1973
Duration: 115'


DAY FOR NIGHT
During the shooting of Je vous présente Paméla, the protagonist
Alphonse is dumped by his girlfriend. This sentimental crisis puts
the whole production at risk and the director Ferrand does everything
he can to calm things down on the set. Relations between the members
of the troupe aren’t always easy, what with endless takes and the
hysteria of the actors, and the film threatens to turn into a huge failure.
But Ferrand, who thoroughly knows the follies of that world he loves
so unconditionally, manages to complete the film.

“Why a film about cinema? Because I had been thinking about it for
a while. The profession of directing films is a mystery to everyone.
You can tell by the questions we are asked and which we have a hard
time answering. Each time I was shooting a film I would think to
myself how interesting it would be to make a film about cinema, for
the simple reason that the most incredible, funny, odd and interesting
things happen during the production, but the public can never
appreciate them because it all happens outside the movie camera.”

Biography

film director

François Truffaut

François Truffaut (Paris, France, 1932 - Neuilly-sur-Seine, France, 1984), after lackluster studies, various jobs and a short period in a reformatory, was invited by André Bazin to collaborate on “Cahiers du cinéma” in 1953. After making a few shorts, in 1959 his debut feature film, The 400 Blows, made him one of the protagonists of the nouvelle vague alongside Chabrol, Godard, Rivette and Rohmer. This was the start of a long and variegated filmography which made him one of the most famous and influential directors in film history.

FILMOGRAFIA

Les quatre cents coups (I 400 colpi, 1959), Tirez sur le pianiste (Tirate sul pianista, 1960), Jules et Jim (Jules e Jim, 1962), Fahrenheit 451 (id., 1966), La mariée était en noir (La sposa in nero, 1968), La sirène du Mississipi (La mia droga si chiama Julie, 1969), La nuit américaine (Effetto notte, 1973), L’histoire d’Adèle H. (Adele H., una storia d’amore, 1975), L’homme qui aimait les femmes (L’uomo che amava le donne, 1977), La chambre verte (La camera verde, 1978), Le dernier métro (L’ultimo metrò, 1980), Vivement dimanche! (Finalmente domenica!, 1983).

Cast

& Credits

regia, soggetto/
director, story
François Truffaut
sceneggiatura/screenplay
Jean-Louis Richard
Suzanne Schiffman,
François Truffaut
fotografia/cinematography
Pierre-William Glenn
montaggio/film editing
Martine Barraqué,
Yann Dedet
scenografia/
production design
Damien Lanfranchi
costumi/costume design
Monique Dury
musica/music
Georges Delerue
interpreti e personaggi/
cast and characters
Jacqueline Bisset (Julie),
Jean-Pierre Léaud
(Alphonse),
Valentina Cortese
(Severine),
Dani (Liliane,
la segretaria d’edizione/
Script Supervisor),
Alexandra Stewart (Stacey),
Jean-Pierre Aumont
(Alexandre),
Jean Champion (Bertrand,
il produttore/Producer),
François Truffaut (Ferrand,
il regista/Director)
produttore/producer
Marcel Berbert
produzione/production
Les Films du Carrosse,
Pecf, Pic
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