Day for Night (1973)
"La nuit américaine" (original title)

A committed film director struggles to complete his movie while coping with a myriad of crises, personal and professional, among the cast and crew.

Director:

François Truffaut

Writers:

François Truffaut (original screenplay), Jean-Louis Richard (original screenplay),

Stars:

Jacqueline Bisset, Valentina Cortese, Jean-Pierre Léaud

Won 1 Oscar. Another 11 wins & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jacqueline Bisset	...	Julie
Valentina Cortese	...	Severine
Dani	...	Liliane
Alexandra Stewart	...	Stacey
Jean-Pierre Aumont	...	Alexandre
Jean Champion	...	Bertrand
Jean-Pierre Léaud	...	Alphonse
François Truffaut	...	director Ferrand
Nike Arrighi	...	Odile
Nathalie Baye	...	Joelle
Maurice Seveno	...	TV Reporter
David Markham	...	Doctor Nelson
Bernard Menez	...	Bernard the Prop Man
Gaston Joly	...	Lajoie
Zénaïde Rossi	...	Madame Lajoie

Storyline

The shooting of "Je vous presente Pamela" (may I introduce Pamela) begins. This is the story of en English married wife falling in love and running away with the father of her French husband. Will be simultaneously shown the shooting, the behavior of the people (including the technical team) on the set, and a part of their private life (a factor of complication)...

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Plot Keywords:

director | love | nervous breakdown | hotel | actor | 

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Taglines:

A movie for people who love movies.

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

French English

Release Date:

7 September 1973 (USA)

Also Known As:

Day for Night

Filming Locations:

Alpes-Maritimes, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$17,808 (USA) (25 July 1997)

Gross:

$17,808 (USA) (25 July 1997)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films du Carrosse, PECF, Produzione Intercontinentale Cinematografica (PIC)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

As Severine (Valentina Cortesa) has more and more trouble remembering her lines (blowing several takes), Ferrand eventually writes her lines on pieces of paper that can be stuck up on the set out of sight of the camera, so that she can read them. It doesn't really work here. However, Truffaut used the same trick for himself when he was having trouble remembering his English lines in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

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Goofs

Several takes are wasted trying to get a cat to drink milk from a tray. Eventually Joelle brings in "the studio cat" to do the scene. But the cat that actually drinks the milk is actually a third, different cat.

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Quotes

director Ferrand: Tell him I speak English, but I don't understand it.

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Crazy Credits

This film is dedicated to Lillian and Dorothy Gish.

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Connections

Referenced in The Year of the Rat (2003)

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Soundtracks

"Grande Chorale"
Georges Delerue

User Reviews

Interesting, entertaining and enjoyable

I still think it's my favourite of Truffaut's, even though my French teacher rolled his eyes, thinking I could have picked a more obscure choice! The reason why I love it so much, is that it has so much to it. Not only is it a clever tale of a film inside a film, but Truffaut also gives you a view into his own world, as well as those of his actors and crew. Truffaut provides some advice on being a film maker in a friendly manner, and you get the impression that this person is really interested in engaging with the audience in a down to earth manner. There is development and a little explanation of the characters which have appeared in his earlier films, particularly Antoine, of course, which I liked, although it's not completely on a plate of course. All in all, def worth a watch.