Day for Night

La Nuit américaine (1973)

Timing: 1:56 (116 min)

7.753/10
645

All about film

Video 2

Photo 39

Actors and characters

Release date

1973-05-24

Country

France, Italy

Production

Warner Bros. Entertainment France, Les Films du Carrosse, Productions et Éditions Cinématographiques Françaises, Produzione Intercontinentale Cinematografica (PIC)

Genre

Comedy, Drama

Budget

$700 000

Revenue

$850 000

Website

Director

François Truffaut

Actors

Jacqueline Bisset, Valentina Cortese, Dani, Alexandra Stewart, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Jean Champion, Jean-Pierre Léaud, François Truffaut, Niké Arrighi, Nathalie Baye
All actors and roles (10)

Scenario

Suzanne Schiffman, Jean-Louis Richard

Producer

Marcel Berbert

Operator

Pierre-William Glenn

Composer

Georges Delerue

Artist

Audition

Editing

Martine Barraqué, Yann Dedet
All team (27)

• The film owes its title to a technique used to film night scenes in daylight. Darkening is achieved either by closing down the lens aperture or using filters. This is what Ferrand means when he talks about filming the car accident, but Julie doesn't understand him ("What is American night?").
• After the film's release, Jean-Luc Godard wrote a letter to François Truffaut sharply criticizing how the filmmaking process was depicted in the film, and what he considered Truffaut's move into mainstream cinema. Godard then suggested that Truffaut collaborate on a joint project. Truffaut flared up and responded to Godard with an insulting letter. This quarrel is considered to have ended the years-long friendship between the two directors. Godard later admitted that he regretted the letter.
• François Truffaut dedicated the film to the actress sisters Lillian (1893-1993) and Dorothy (1898-1968) Gish.