i like this movie, i like the way the camera kind of let the story tell himself
shareI also think it's similar in the way it tells the story from the child's point of view, and fleshes him out as a person instead of, say, a lovable lil' rascal like most other movies.
Pather Panchali is a far better movie, though.
Believe me, you don't want Hannibal Lecter inside your head."
Weird thing is that Truffaut apparently made a disparaging remark about Pather Panchali when it was released. Something along the lines of 'Why would I want to see a film about poor people in India?'
How do you like them apples?
Truffaut: "I don’t want to see a movie of peasants eating with their hands."
His reaction baffles me; I'm not quite sure what he even means. I'm *guessing* he meant that cinema shouldn't wallow in poverty/sadness. Rather, it should uplift those who are the most desperate. And in a way, I see his point -- I detest films that end in tragedy simply for the sake of melodrama and "seriousness." But Pather Panchali doesn't belong in that category. And there actually plenty of moments of warmth to be found in the movie as well.
Anyway, that quote was before he became a filmmaker himself, though. He was still a critic at the Cahiers du Cinema...so maybe he changed his mind later on. In every good critic runs a natural contrarian streak.
I'll give Truffaut the benefit of doubt, too, because I don't know in what context he said that. But as a statement onto itself; I find it shortminded beyond measure. The eating with the hands is merely a cultural difference, not at all what the film is about, obviously.
But to get back to the subject of the thread - yeah it definitely shares a theme with The 400 Blows. When you think about it, quite a few directors that are considered among the greatest have made a film early in their career about young people struggling with daily life. People that are trying to find a colorful life, to break out of their confined environments and are longing for some something more, whatever that may be.
Ray - Pather Panchali, Truffaut - The 400 Blows, Fellini - I Vitelloni, Wong Kar Wai - As Tears Go By (although this one is a little far fetched, I admit), Scorsese - Mean Streets.
It's just a theory, but it doesn't surprise me that some filmmakers share this theme, since it has to be quite personal to them early in their careers. They too took a risk by starting to make films. After all, they did what most people don't do; they put a lot of effort in making a film they wanted to make. They can probably relate to the main characters in that way.
The French can be very culturally arrogant and they over-emphasize their own table manners. Obviously he had seen the movie and knew that rural Indians eat food with their hands. It is a bit shocking for Westerners to see. I hope Truffault became more worldly and less arrogant in his later years.
shareActually all Indians eat food with their hands. It's a cultural thing that Truffault perhaps didn't get. Also, remember that the moral arrow is decidedly pointed towards the future. His comment and the context may not have irked that much back in the day.
share