A Divided Vision: The Renoir-Hitchcock Continuum in Francois Truffaut's ;Shoot the Piano Player; and ;The Bride Wore Black;.
This paper will attempt to situate two Truffaut films - "Shoot the Piano Player" and "The Bride Wore Black" - along the critical continuum between these two auteurs. It will be argued that while the influence of Hitchcock in these films may be found mostly in their formal qualities, while that of Renoir lies in their thematic orientation, such an absolute distinction is alien to Truffaut's appreciation and understanding of these directors. Thus, rather than reading these films in terms of a tension between two polarities, it will be shown how Truffaut interweaves elements of both directors' visions in two complex visual tapestries that are ultimately and undeniably his own. 6 pgs. 5 f/c. 3b.