Comedy · Drama
French (La Nuit américaine)
1973 · Directed by François Truffaut · 116 min
A film director and his cast and crew try to finish a modest melodrama at a studio on the French Riviera. Between love affairs, nerves, delays and practical disasters, the shoot turns into a portrait of a small, makeshift family. The tone is warm, funny and affectionate.
Why it matters in cinema history
A defining film-about-film, it marks the New Wave's move from rebellion to affectionate reflection on cinema itself. It is a touchstone for every later story about life on a set.
Watch with intention
Watch it as a study of a temporary family held together by a shared task, and ask how the film shows what the work asks of them.
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