François Truffaut is the sacred cow of French cinema. More than 40 years after his death, the artist who defined himself as being from the “extrême-centre” is still the symbol of good taste in French cinephilia, both in universities and in the film industry, as well as among cinephiles who like to name-drop without having seen the works, or simply based on a distant memory of his films. However, after a strong start, both critically and artistically, François Truffaut quickly became a caricature of his former self, delivering a cinema that was not only perfectly academic but also deeply misogynistic, paternalistic, blind to social realities, and frankly, ethically and artistically conformist to a fault. This may not necessarily be a problem in itself, and the goal is not to discourage those who want to admire Truffaut. However, the veneration he receives has had and continues to have concrete effects, particularly on the official history of cinema, invisibilizing other filmmakers who fell victim to his excommunications, or disqualifying a more politically engaged seventh art. Is it not time to watch the films of the man who has been hailed as the pope of French cinema for what they are and what they say?
Photo/Illustration credits at the top of the page:
Morgane Sabouret
