Wednesday, December 10, 2008

Day for Night

This gets the same treatment as Pickpocket does, with my second short paper serving as the basis for this blog post. However, unlike Pickpocket, which delved into more specific parts of the film, this one is a little more generalized.



Day for Night

Francois Truffaut’s Day for Night is an interesting and complex film in simple packaging. It seems to be the straightforward story of a film crew trying to make a film, but there is much more to it than that. It is a self proclaimed “movie for people who love movies”, and the statement couldn’t be more accurate. It is often funny, sad, and dramatic, but where it really excels is in its ability to give the viewer a window in the movie-making process. And although the story is very straightforward and easy to follow, especially when compared to other films of the French New Wave, it presents one interesting and complex problem: when does the film cease to become narrative and become documentary?, or vice-versa? The film manages to both give the feel of both a documentary following the cast and crew around, as well as a narrative story that belongs in a fictional film. This phenomenon will be explored in greater detail later.
First, the more surface achievements of the film must be praised. This film is amazingly shot. Imagine shooting a film, and constantly having to redo a long, complex tracking shot, due to errors made by actors, extras, or crew. This in itself would be frustrating and unpredictable. Imagine trying to re-create seemingly bad takes of such a shot, purposefully messing them up while trying to make them appear genuine. This is what Truffaut manages to do during the opening moments of the film. Making mistakes appear genuine must be a difficult task, and yet it is done so effortlessly that we feel instantly like we are really there watching this film getting made. At first however, the viewer will think that they are watching a film, until the director yells ‘cut’ and we realize that we are actually behind those behind the camera, and are spectators. The transition from audience member to on-set spectator is so smoothly done that it is very entertaining and not at all jarring. The final shot of this opening sequence, when the crew breaks for the day and the camera cranes up and over the entire set, is awesome to behold. It really gives the viewer the feeling that they are going to get an inside view into the process that they’ve never had before. Many more of the film’s shots are equally as interesting, and Truffaut walks the line between reality and fiction so well that the viewer hardly even notices the direction of the film shifting back and forth. The somewhat jumpier handheld shots interviewing cast members give way to smooth track or tripod shots of the characters having intimate moments with each other. The final shot of the film is a breathtaking helicopter shot of the cast and crew congratulating each other on the success of finally getting the film done, and it really gives the viewer a rewarding feeling that something amazing was accomplished, and they celebrate internally with the characters, especially after sitting through all the ridiculous events that happened in the two hours previous.
Secondly, praise needs to be given to this film for its excellent use of two film’s most basic tools: acting and score. Although all films should strive to have good acting and music, Day for Night sports excellence in both. The acting in the film is fantastic, right down to those playing the grips and other assorted crew members. Acting the part of a character in a film must be difficult enough. Acting like one is acting must be even harder. The actors in this film play both their characters, who are actors, as well as the characters that said actors are playing. When the viewer is watching the film, the reality of this will most likely pass by unnoticed, they are just that good. It can be said that conveniently, the characters in Meet Pamela, the film within a film, are almost extensions of the characters in Day for Night. It is a point of speculation as to what Truffaut was trying to say with this, but more will come later on that. The actors do a fantastic job of convincing the viewer that they are acting, and then when not on set in the film they are still acting a different character. The same goes for the crew, who are actors playing crew members both on and off set in Meet Pamela. In the case of a few, most notably Truffaut, who plays the films director, they are crew members playing crew members, providing yet another interesting mirror for us to examine later.
Another point to be made is about the film’s score, which plays seemingly only intermittently, but always has a profound effect. It speeds along montages fantastically, and is such an uplifting theme that it really puts the viewer in a positive state, despite the chaos that might be ensuing on screen. It seems to really come into play only a few times in the film, but is always tastefully placed and effective.
The first main topic of discussion about this film is: what was Truffaut trying to say with this film? It can be interpreted that he was just making an enjoyable movie, and that’s as far as anyone should read into it. It seems obvious however, that he was making a statement about the film industry and the work that goes into the making of a film. In regards to the characters in the film (those making Meet Pamela) he has some things to say. The actors are almost all battered, insecure and disturbed people. It could be said that he is ridiculing actors, but it seems to be more of a statement on how the industry affects and treats people. One of the leads in the film discusses how she used to play more leading roles, and now that she is middle-aged she has been reduced to a neglected housewife. All this too while her male co-star, of the same age, is still playing lover characters. Truffaut is showing how the industry uses people for one purpose until it feels it no longer can, and then just discards them. Women actors in particular are affected by this, while males can often continue on more successfully. Some others, like the young male lead in the film, are almost the opposite. They are young people raised within the fantasy world of film, and they don’t know how to deal with their emotions properly. When one is raised around the film industry, and nearly everyone in the profession is out to get to the top by any means necessary, it becomes hard to deal with emotional problems, and young people often become a shallow reflection of their characters. Truffaut seems to be sympathizing with actors and portraying them as they often become, battered insecure people. Truffaut also seems to sympathize with the crew in the film, as they put up with all of the ridiculous situations the actors cause, as well as trying to keep the film on track and on schedule. Whether or not he sympathizes with the director out of bias is a matter of personal decision, but we see scene after scene of the director character being bombarded with questions and problems. He tries to juggle all of the crew’s concerns along with taking care of the actors and making sure they are comfortable. This all seems completely realistic, and the focus of it should not be attributed to Truffaut playing the director; it’s just the way that the film world is.
Now to the second main topic about the film: is it documentary or fiction? The obvious answer is that it is fiction. It revolves around fictional characters, with a fictional storyline, during the shooting of a fictional film. However, is it really that simple? The film seems to be Truffaut’s tribute to the art of filmmaking, chaos and all. It seems that the majority of the events in this film could be inspired by real events that have happened during Truffaut’s career, or in another director’s career. The film’s events are certainly fantastic and often ridiculous, but they are all completely realistic, and add to the feeling that this is really sort of a mockumentary, and not a fictional narrative. As stated earlier, the camera work really helps the film walk the line between fiction and reality, as in some scenes the viewer feels as though they are standing side-by-side with the cast and crew, living in the moment with them. At other times, it feels as though the viewer is treated to the action from the comfort of their chair, through the lens of a camera. This is part of what makes the film so enjoyable. The clever dance back and forth is quite a delight to behold, and makes the viewer even more curious as to what is fictional, and what has been inspired by real life. This film is the ultimate inspiration for the question: Does art imitate life, or life imitate art?

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