François Truffaut: the story on HearLore

François Truffaut

On the 6th of February 1932, François Roland Truffaut was born in Paris to a mother named Janine de Montferrand. His biological father remained unknown for decades until a private detective agency uncovered a name: Roland Levy, a Jewish dentist from Bayonne. The boy spent his early years moving between nannies and his grandmother's home. He lived with her until she died when he was eight years old. Only after that loss did he begin living with his parents. Cinema became his escape from an unstable childhood. At age eight, he saw Abel Gance's Paradis Perdu (Paradise Lost) and developed an obsession with film. He frequently skipped school to sneak into theaters because he lacked money for tickets. By age eleven, he had read Émile Zola's Thérèse Raquin and decided to become a novelist. Two academic goals emerged: watch three movies daily and read three books weekly. After being expelled from several schools, he chose self-education at fourteen. He frequented Henri Langlois's Cinémathèque Française, where he absorbed American cinema and British directors like John Ford and Howard Hawks. A flood of American pictures arrived in Paris after World War II ended, switching his focus entirely toward films.

The Gravedigger Of French Cinema

In 1950, Truffaut joined the French Army at eighteen but spent two years trying to escape service. He was arrested for desertion and imprisoned in a military facility. André Bazin used political contacts to secure his release and offered him a job at Cahiers du Cinéma. The magazine became his professional home and personal sanctuary during formative years. Truffaut wrote over five hundred film articles for Arts-Lettres-Spectacles between 1954 and 1958. His brutal reviews earned him the nickname "The Gravedigger of French Cinema." He was the only French critic excluded from the 1958 Cannes Film Festival. In 1954, he published an article titled "Une Certaine Tendance du Cinéma Français" attacking mainstream French filmmakers. He listed eight directors as incapable of creating meaningful characters: Jean Renoir, Robert Bresson, Jean Cocteau, Jacques Becker, Abel Gance, Max Ophuls, Jacques Tati, and Roger Leenhardt. The article caused controversy and landed him work with a national weekly publication. Later, he developed auteur theory, which claimed that the director is the true author of a film.

When was François Truffaut born and where did he die?

François Truffaut was born on the 6th of February 1932 in Paris. He died at age fifty-two on the 21st of October 1984 at the American Hospital of Paris in Neuilly-sur-Seine.

Who were the parents of François Truffaut and what was his biological father's name?

François Truffaut was born to a mother named Janine de Montferrand while his biological father remained unknown for decades until a private detective agency uncovered the name Roland Levy. His mother later married and gave him the surname Truffaut after hospital records listed him as a child born to an unknown father.

What film won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival for François Truffaut in 1959?

The 400 Blows won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival in 1959 following its release that same year. The film followed Antoine Doinel through school troubles, unhappy home life, and reform school with Jean-Pierre Léaud playing the title role.

Which films earned François Truffaut Academy Awards or nominations during his career?

Day for Night won Truffaut an Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1973 while Isabelle Adjani earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Actress in The Story of Adèle H in 1975. Small Change received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film in 1976 and The Last Metro garnered twelve César Award nominations winning ten including Best Director in 1980.

Who did François Truffaut marry and what children did he have?

François Truffaut married Madeleine Morgenstern from 1957 until 1964 and they had two daughters named Laura born in 1959 and Eva born in 1961. He later lived with Fanny Ardant from 1981 until his death and they had a daughter named Joséphine born on the 28th of September 1983.

François Truffaut

The Gravedigger Of French Cinema

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Common questions

When was François Truffaut born and where did he die?

Who were the parents of François Truffaut and what was his biological father's name?

What film won Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival for François Truffaut in 1959?

Which films earned François Truffaut Academy Awards or nominations during his career?

Who did François Truffaut marry and what children did he have?

Antoine Doinel's Troubled Adolescence

Disjunctive Editing And Genre Experiments

The Romance Of Making Movies

Marriages And Family Life

The Final Bow And Lasting Shadow