Hitchcock Chronology: François Truffaut

January

François Truffaut's controversial article "Une Certaine Tendance du Cinéma Français" is published in the January edition of Cahiers du cinéma. Truffaut criticises the current state of French film and argues the case for auteurs de films — filmmakers who are responsible for all aspects and stages of the film — being the future of cinema. The article opens up the ongoing discussion about auteur theory and anticipates the French New Wave (La Nouvelle Vague) style of filmmaking. Truffaut himself will be in the vanguard of the New Wave, along with fellow Cahiers contributors Jean-Luc Godard, Éric Rohmer, Jacques Rivette and Claude Chabrol.^[1]^[2]

January

Returning for their Christmas holiday in St. Moritz, the Hitchcocks travel to Paris in early January to oversee the French dubbing of To Catch a Thief. Whilst there, Hitchcock meets with François Truffaut and Claude Chabrol for a Cahiers du Cinéma interview. After Truffaut and Chabrol manage to accidentally fall into an icy pond on their way to meet Hitchcock, damaging their tape recorder in the process, they reschedule and meet that evening at the Plaza-Athénée Hotel.^[3]

July

2nd - François Truffaut writes to Hitchcock asking to be able to interview him over a period of several days in order to publish an in-depth book about his career.^[4]

August

12th - François Truffaut and translator Helen Scott arrive in Hollywood.^[5]
13th - François Truffaut and translator Helen Scott begin interviewing Hitchcock at his Universal Studios office. Truffaut is shown a rough cut of The Birds during the morning and is invited to join the Hitchcocks to celebrate their birthdays with an evening meal at Perino's. Approximately 26 hours of interviews are eventually edited down to form Truffaut's book "Hitchcock", published in English in 1967.^[5]

April

23rd - Hitchcock meets with François Truffaut in New York City to conduct follow-up questions for Truffaut's book "Hitchcock". Hitchcock also screens a print of Marnie for Truffaut.^[6]

August

The Hitchcocks celebrate their 75th birthdays at a special party organised by Lew Wasserman at Chasen's Restaurant. Among the guests are Cary Grant, Laraine Day, Paul Newman and François Truffaut.^[7]

October

November

20th - Helen Scott, who acted as the translator during François Truffaut's interviews with Hitchcock, dies aged 72.

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