View Full Version : François Truffaut
Cirrus888
11-03-2003, 13:59
Which films have you seen of his (and what you think) and which ones are available on DVD.
These are available on DVD:
Baisers volés (1968) (Stolen Kisses)
Peau douce, La (1964) (The Soft Skin)
Jules et Jim (1962)
Tirez sur le pianiste (1960) (Shoot the Pianist)
Quatre cents coups, Les (1959) (400 Blows, The)
What are they like? Film and DVD?
Michael Brooke
11-03-2003, 14:17
The great thing about Truffaut is that he spent virtually his entire career working for the same production company - with the result that a huge chunk of his output is not only available on DVD, but also that the quality threshold is gratifyingly high.
I can certainly recommend <I>The 400 Blows, Shoot the Pianist, Jules et Jim, Stolen Kisses</I> and <I>Day for Night</I> pretty much unreservedly - and I feel I should add <I>La Peau Douce</I> to that list, but it's ages since I saw it.
It's easy to find out what's available on DVD - just visit Amazon's <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com">American</A>, <A HREF="http://www.amazon.co.uk">British</A> and <A HREF="http://www.amazon.fr">French</A> branches and do a search on "Truffaut".
In general, the MK2 French editions are the best (superb transfers and exhaustive labour-of-love extras), but they don't always have English subtitles (some have subtitles on everything, some on just the main feature, others not even that - and I think <I>Fahrenheit 451</I> has non-removable French subtitles - it was Truffaut's only English-language film).
As far as I can see, the Tartan UK editions are sourced from the MK2 discs, so can probably be recommended (though I haven't seen any myself), and in the US it's a toss-up between Criterion and Fox Lorber/WinStar. The Criterion Truffauts have yet to be released, but it's probably a very safe bet they'll be superior to Fox Lorber/WinStar, whose track record is less than stellar. Don't bother paying through the nose for the out of print Criterion <I>400 Blows</I>, as its reissue in a superior transfer is imminent.
So if you speak French, it's MK2 all the way, if not, go for a mixture of Tartan and Criterion.
Cirrus888
11-03-2003, 14:21
ahhh ... answered everything in one post ...
Thanks MB ...
I'm actually looking at this boxset ... Francois Truffaut (http://www.dvd.co.kr/good_view.asp?gd=S0303100015)
Which looks like the MK2 transfers for about 12 squids each ...
Barry Evil
11-03-2003, 14:38
There's are some Truffaut films in Play's <a href="http://www.playserver4.com/play247.asp?page=promo&r=R2&id=159" target="_blank">World Cinema Sale</a> for £8.99 each, including Les Quatre cents coups and Jules et Jim. You could buy one of these as a taster if you're new to Truffaut.
Edited: Except that's no good to you 'cause they don't deliver to Hong Kong. D'oh!
I'd also recommend La Peau Douce - saw it again at Christmas time and really enjoyed it (although I'm not a major fan of Truffaut's either). If you can cope with his slightly self-concious style (for lack of a better description of what I don't like in him), this is a v. good film.
Got slated upon release tho' :|
EDIT: also the following list (http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/index.cgi?page=Feature&id=65) shoudl provide you with some information. It's still a work in progress though (and I'm sure Jules et Jim has all the exrtas subbed - need to correct that right away!)
Originally posted by Michael Brooke [B]and I think <I>Fahrenheit 451</I> has non-removable French subtitles /B]
Absolutely right - the can't be disabled by normal means (my player will disable some subs but only with much fiddling about)
vBulletin® v3.7.0, Copyright ©2000-2009, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.