Cannes Classics review - HITCHCOCK/TRUFFAUT by Kent Jones

Master of suspense and le petit caporal's legendary encounter and resulting interview, then published into a widely celebrated film. Hitchcock/Truffaut by Kent Jones was presented in the Cannes Classics section of the 68th Cannes Film Festival.

In 1962, Francois Truffaut conducted a marathon with Alfred Hitchcock, whom he considered to be the world's greatest filmmaker. That interview then materialised into one of the greatest books on filmmaking ever published, called Hitchcock/Truffaut. There are many reasons why that is. For starters, it is now widely regarded for being the book that finally brought credibility to Hitchcock far from his franchise image and misguided commercial reputation. It was also a fascinating and most insightful look upon not only the filmmaking of the proclaimed master of suspense, but also filmmaking in general.

A while ago, the original tapes of the interview between the two filmmakers were found. Now, Kent Jones has confirmed and revisited it and its reputation by paying tribute to it with a documentary titled, like the book, Hitchcock/Truffaut, which is bound to sit very well with film buffs everywhere.

Kent Jones shows a great connection to the piece in selecting the right moments from the book worth highlighting. There is also a great sense of rhythm in timing, thanks to a wonderful work of editing by Rachel Reichman and a good use of the vast amount of archive footage by Jones. There is also a genuine connection between the filmmaker and his subject, and this shows by how the film is structured and provides a more  emotional backdrop to the story behind the novel, not only by highlighting certain moments of friendly displays that are extremely charming, but also by examining insightful and intimate reasons why this was a pivotal event in the lives of both filmmakers, as well as likening their encounter as a sporadic father and son relationship.

Aside from the priceless archive footage, Hitchcock/Truffaut is enriched by contributions from a myriad of big names in the film industry, mostly established big name auteurs, such as David Fincher, Peter Bogdanovich, Wes Anderson and Richard Linklater, to name but a few. What is so priceless about their contribution is that they are honest, clever, authentic and delivered in a very formal way. There is no doubt about the great appeal that this documentary will enjoy among film enthusiasts, but in its own way it is equally important is serving the purpose of reminding us, much like Truffaut himself did with the book, of how great Hitchcock truly was.