“There are several good ways of making French films. Italian-style, like Renoir. Viennese, like Ophüls. New Yorker, like Melville. But only Becker was and is French as France, French as Fontenelle’s rose and Bonnot’s gang.”
—Jean-Luc Godard, in his obituary “Frère Jacques” (1960)
“Every beautiful film is dedicated almost imperceptibly to someone, and it seems to me that this one might be dedicated to Jacques Becker. It would have touched him profoundly, as it touches everyone who values people over situations, all who think that men are more important than what they do.”
—François Truffaut, on Claude Sautet’s Vincent, François, Paul!… et les autres (1974)
“Things never happen the way we expect. That is the subject of all my films.”
—Claude Sautet, interviewed by Michel Boujot (1995)
Some directors seem…
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Cinema Scope (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 95 - Summer 2023