La Nuit Americaine (aka Day For Night) (1973)

While filming a movie in Nice, a movie director (Francois Truffaut) must contend with an immature actor (Jean Pierre Leaud), an actress (Jacqueline Bisset) recovering from a nervous breakdown, a boozing actress (Valentina Cortese in an Oscar nominated performance) having trouble remembering her lines and an actress (Alexandra Stewart) hiding her pregnancy among many other things. Only the film's leading man (Jean Pierre Aumont) seems to have his act together. Directed by Francois Truffaut, this is his valentine to film making. To anyone who's worked on a movie set, the trials and tribulations are all too familiar. The film doesn't really amount to much and it's certainly not representative of Truffaut at his best (JULES AND JIM, SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER). But it's highly likable and if you love the movies, it's hard to resist (though reputedly Jean Luc Godard hated it). The reviews were glowing when it opened and as much as I treasure this movie, I think they went a tad overboard. I wouldn't even call it the best movie about making movies. I prefer SINGIN' IN THE RAIN and THE BAD AND THE BEAUTIFUL but there's no denying Truffaut's valentine is an entertaining confection. With Nathalie Baye, Dani, Jean Champion, David Markham and Nike Arrighi.