Hitchcock/Truffaut (Kent Jones, 2015): USA

Reviewed by Marlee Reed. Viewed at AFI Fest 2015.

A 30 year old Francois Truffaut had a goal, and that goal was to change the way everyone viewed Alfred Hitchcock. He succeeded in his journey, eventually publishing a book that documented his week long interview with the director, discussing his half a century long career that spawned a number of films and productions. Director Kent Jones does a wonderful job of adapting the book to the silver screen. With inteviews with directors such as Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson, and David Fincher, Jones explores how the 1966 publication influenced their work.

The film itself isn’t a direct publication to screen adaption, but more of a publication to screen celebration, considered to be more of a companion piece to the book. It opens with a history of the book, explaining how the week long interview came to be. Truffaut penned a letter to Hitchcock, praising his work and suggesting they sit down and discuss his career.Jones toggles between the backstories between Truffaut and Hitchcock, exploring more of the former’s filmography without overanalyzing the works of the latter.