‘Hitchcock/Truffaut’: Conversations Between Two Film Legends

François Truffaut (L) and Alfred Hitchcock discuss filmmaking, in the documentary “Hitchcock/Truffaut.” Cohen Media Group

PG-13 | 1h 20m | Documentary, Biography, Film History | 2015

In 1962, Alfred Hitchcock received a handwritten letter from François Truffaut that asked him to participate in week-long interviews for a book Truffaut was writing about Hitchcock. It wasn’t going to be a biography, but an in-depth analysis of Hitchcock’s entire filmography up to that point.

Notorious for avoiding interviews, Hitchcock immediately granted Truffaut’s request. This wasn’t because Truffaut was a respected movie critic. Hitchcock agreed because Truffaut had made three consecutive films (“The 400 Blows,” “Shoot the Piano Player,” and “Jules and Jim”) he greatly admired.

Alfred Hitchcock (L) and François Truffaut in the documentary “Hitchcock/Truffaut.” Cohen Media Group

In 1966, four years later, those interviews were published as “Hitchcock/Truffaut.” This treatise has since been regarded as one of the few indispensable books not only on Hitchcock, but the film medium in general.

It quickly became the supreme reference source of every director and movie fan then or since. I bought my first copy in 1974, although I’d never heard of Truffaut at the time. It became so worn and dog-eared that I had to replace it around 2000.

The Cinematic Grail

In a Kent Jones 2015 documentary of the same name, the book is dissected, probed, prodded, examined, and analyzed. Jones interviewed nearly a dozen other filmmakers between the 1960s and the present. They all view it as a cinematic Holy Grail. Several interviewees state that most of what they learned about their profession came from the pages of this book.

Jones seems to follow the lead of his two subjects, as his film gets right to the point. The movie has next to no fat or filler, yet doesn’t include anything from the most (unofficially) acknowledged Hitchcock devotee (some may say copycat) of all-time. More on that in a bit.

Clocking in at a streamlined 80 minutes, the movie is far from complete, but is more than comprehensive. Instead of offering details of Hitchcock’s then-51 films (all covered in the book), Jones instead opts for a “greatest hits” approach.

(L–R) Translator Helen Scott, François Truffaut, and Alfred Hitchcock, in the documentary “Hitchcock/Truffaut.” (Cohen Media Group)  Cohen Media Group

All the Better

“The Lodger: A Story of the London Fog,” “Rebecca,” “The Wrong Man,” “Notorious,” “Rear Window,” “Vertigo,” “Psycho,” and “The Birds” are the only titles given significant attention, and the movie is all the better for it. Even if this film was twice as long, there would not have been enough time to be thorough.

Jones makes up for this with the audio exchanges between the two title subjects (through translator Helen Scott). Hitchcock and Truffaut discuss tone, atmosphere, pace, camera angles, dealing with actors, and the dreamlike nature of Hitchcock’s purposefully nebulous screenplays.

Jones deserves high marks for devoting well over a third of the running time to bullet point biographical information of the two subjects. Again, going into more detail or wading into extraneous minutia would have done more harm than good.

Less Is More

Although most of what Jones and his co-writer Serge Toubiana present is public knowledge, the writers stick to the highlights, opting for a less-is-more approach. For instance, Hitchcock attended college with hopes of becoming an engineer, but switched lanes and began writing ad copy for early silent films. His talents at graphics and copywriting led to Gainsborough Studios offering him his first film directing job, “Number 13” (1922).

Truffaut started out as a movie critic for the esteemed publication Cahiers du Cinema. He quickly became an industry “bad boy” by calling out some of the most successful established French filmmakers of the time. After five years writing about movies, Truffaut made two short films, which led to his first feature, the semi-autobiographical landmark classic, “The 400 Blows” (1959).

Woven throughout the film are interviews Jones conducts with modern-day directors heavily influenced by both Hitchcock and Truffaut. Included are Americans David Fincher, Wes Anderson, Martin Scorsese, Peter Bogdanovich, James Grey, Paul Schrader, and Richard Linklater. Also participating are French director Olivier Assayas and Japanese filmmaker Kiyoshi Kurosawa.

No De Palma

Noticeably absent from the roster of interviewees is Brian De Palma, a prominent figure in the American New Wave whose works have been favorably and unfavorably compared to Hitchcock.

This theory first caught fire in 1976 with “Obsessed,” a movie that both De Palma and writer Paul Schrader stated was inspired by “Vertigo.” It was also scored by frequent Hitchcock collaborator Bernard Hermann. The comparisons continued with “Dressed to Kill,” “Blow Out,” “Body Double,” “The Untouchables,” and most recently, “Snake Eyes.”  

At points throughout his career, De Palma has both dismissed and embraced the Hitchcock comparisons. It’s hard to fathom why Jones wouldn’t have reached out to him for this production. He might have, and De Palma declined. One theory for De Palma’s absence was that a similar film about him (“De Palma” by director Jake Paltrow) was being produced at around the same time.

Whatever the reason, not having any input from De Palma leaves the final product with a nagging air of incompleteness. Despite this glaring omission, “Hitchcock/Truffaut” is indispensable viewing for any and all movie fans.

Poster for the documentary “Hitchcock/Truffaut.” Cohen Media Group

The film is presented in English along with subtitled French and Japanese. It is available on home video and to stream on Prime Video and Apple TV.

‘Hitchcock/Truffaut’ Documentary Director: Kent Jones Running Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes MPAA Rating: PG-13 Release Date: Dec. 2, 2015 Rating: 4 stars out of 5

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