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François Truffaut

François Truffaut

Writer, director, actor and producer · Died October 21, 1984, aged 52 · Paris, France

François Roland Truffaut (February 6, 1932 – October 21, 1984) was an influential film critic and filmmaker and one of the founders of the French New Wave. In a film career lasting over a quarter of a century, he remains an icon of the French film industry. He was also a screenwriter, producer, and actor working on over twenty-five films. Along with Jean-Luc Godard, Truffaut was one of the most influential figures of the French New Wave, inspiring directors such as Steven Spielberg, Quentin Tarantino, Brian De Palma, Martin Scorsese and Wes Anderson.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
February 6, 1932
Died
October 21, 1984 (aged 52)
From
Paris, France
Works as
Writer, director, actor and producer
Titles
31 on MovieCove · 54 credits in all
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Down 5% in 30 days

What are François Truffaut's films like?

Across their 32 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

What they feel like to watch

their average across 32 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category

A split, not a type: Light 15 · Serious 11 · Dark 6

A split, not a type: Grounded 16 · Stylized 13 · Heightened 3

Gentle 13 · Charged 14 · Intense 5

Steady 16 · Shifting 15 · Whiplash 1

A split, not a type: Straight-faced 18 · Some laughs 13 · Funny 1

Slow burn 21 · Even-paced 11 · Relentless 0

Casual 12 · Engaged 20 · Full focus 0

A split, not a type: Easy watch 15 · Affecting 10 · Heavy 7

A split, not a type: Resolved 18 · Open-ended 8 · Ambiguous 6

Roles they play

3 analyzed roles

Usually the Mentor: 2 of 3 analyzed roles.

Mentor
2 of 3
Hero
1 of 3

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
13
Warm
12
Contemplative
13
Melancholic
12
Bittersweet
10
Other
22

How their films end · 4 with a twist

  • Happy5
  • Bittersweet12
  • Tragic7
  • Ambiguous6
  • Other2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch François Truffaut's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 21 of their 31 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Criterion Channel (14).

Subscription and free streaming for François Truffaut's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

54 credits, 31 with a MovieCove page; 68 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Short Cuts : Stolen Kisses (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2024)

    Original Film Writer

  • Short cuts : François Truffaut's The Woman Next Door (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2023)

    Original Film Writer

  • Françoise Dorléac, from The Man from Rio to The Young Girls of Rochefort (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    as archive footage

  • Morceaux de Cannes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2021)

    Actor

  • Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
  • The Magic Skin (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)

    Idea

  • Their First Films (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director

  • The Truth About Charlie(2002)

    Original Film Writer

    Midcredits score: 11th percentile of all films
  • Belle Époque (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1995)

    Show 3 episodes · Writer

  • The Little Thief(1988)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
  • Wings of Desire(1987)

    In Memory Of

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
  • The Man Who Loved Women(1983)

    Original Film Writer

    Midcredits score: 18th percentile of all films
  • Confidentially Yours(1983)

    Director · Adaptation · Dialogue · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
  • Breathless(1983)

    Author

    Midcredits score: 44th percentile of all films
  • The Woman Next Door(1981)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
  • The Last Metro(1980)

    Director · Dialogue · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
  • Willie & Phil(1980)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films
  • Love on the Run(1979)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 84th percentile of all films
  • The Green Room (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1978)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay · as Julien Davenne

  • Close Encounters of the Third Kind(1977)

    as Claude Lacombe

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
  • The Man Who Loved Women(1977)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay · as Un homme aux fénérailles (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all films
  • Small Change(1976)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay · as Martine's father

    Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
  • That Kid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)

    Producer

  • The Story of Adele H(1975)

    Director · Screenplay · as Officer (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
  • Les Musiciens de la pellicule (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1974)

    Show 1 episode · as lui-même

  • Day for Night(1973)

    Director · Screenplay · as Ferrand, the Director

    Midcredits score: 97th percentile of all films
  • A Gorgeous Girl Like Me(1972)

    Director · Writer · as Journalist (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 60th percentile of all films
  • Two English Girls(1971)

    Director · Writer · as Narrator (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
  • Bed & Board(1970)

    Director · Dialogue · Producer · Screenplay · as Le Marchand de Journaux (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
  • The Wild Child(1970)

    Director · Adaptation · Dialogue · Screenplay · as Le Dr Jean Itard

    Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
  • Mississippi Mermaid(1969)

    Director · Adaptation · Producer

    Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
  • Naked Childhood (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1969)

    Producer

  • Stolen Kisses(1968)

    Director · Dialogue · Producer · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
  • The Bride Wore Black(1968)

    Director · Adaptation

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
  • Fahrenheit 451(1966)

    Director · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
  • The Soft Skin(1964)

    Director · Producer · Screenplay · as Le Pompiste (voice) (uncredited)

    Midcredits score: 93rd percentile of all films
  • Mata Hari, Agent H21 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1964)

    Screenplay

  • Los 4 Golpes (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Director · as The Assassin

  • Antoine and Colette (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Director · Writer

  • Love at Twenty(1962)

    Director · Writer

    Midcredits score: 82nd percentile of all films
  • A Swelled Head (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1962)

    Writer

  • Jules and Jim(1962)

    Director · Adaptation · Producer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
  • Le scarabée d'or (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Producer

  • A Story of Water (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)

    Director · Writer

  • Shoot the Piano Player(1960)

    Director · Adaptation · Dialogue

    Midcredits score: 91st percentile of all films
  • The Army Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1960)

    Co-Director · Adaptation · Producer · Screenplay · as Le taulard passionné de lecture

  • Breathless(1960)

    Original Story · Story

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films
  • Testament of Orpheus(1960)

    Associate Producer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
  • The 400 Blows(1959)

    Director · Adaptation · Producer · Screenplay · as Homme dans une fête foraine (non crédité)

    Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
  • Anna the Maid (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Producer

  • The Overworked (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1958)

    Writer

  • The Mischief Makers (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1957)

    Director · Screenplay

  • Fool’s Mate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Party guest (uncredited)

  • The Kreutzer Sonata (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)

    as Cameo (uncredited)

Career shape

A full career of 53 titles from 1956 to 2024.

Film career

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting20 of 53: 7 only acting, 13 with another role · typical Midcredits score92ndDirecting28 of 53: 1 only directing, 27 with another role · typical Midcredits score90thWriting38 of 53: 12 only writing, 26 with another role · typical Midcredits score88thProducing19 of 53: 5 only producing, 14 with another role · typical Midcredits score91stOther crew1 of 53: 1 only other crew, 0 with another role

53 titles, 27 with more than one role — writing and directing overlap on 26 of them.

By decade

1950s6 · 3 acting · 4 crew1960s18 · 3 acting · 18 crew1970s13 · 11 acting · 11 crew1980s7 · crew1990s1 · crew2000s2 · crew2010s2 · 1 acting · 1 crew2020s4 · 2 acting · 2 crew

Billing

usually 12th · top billed in 8% of 13 roles
5671

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30; the columns are the share of top-billed roles in each era, 5-year spans from the year on the label, merged until each holds at least 5 roles.

How do François Truffaut's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 87th percentile, the median of all 31; across their 32 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 85th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

85thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 32

Approval · how many liked their films

86thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 32

Reach · how many have seen their films

84thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 32

Midcredits score across 31 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up24
  • 50th to 74th3
  • 25th to 49th2
  • Below 25th2

Shape of the crowd

None of their 31 titles divides audiences: 17 are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved9
  • Crowd Pleaser17
  • Broadly Agreed1
  • Mixed4

Reviewers score the dialogue 59/100 and the plot and story 48/100 in their films, across 28 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is François Truffaut's work okay for kids?

Across up to 16 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore runs lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles12–40 · median 30 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity16 titles20–56 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity7 titles10–46 · median 33 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs6 titles20–52 · median 41 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense8 titles12–42 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does François Truffaut work with?

People who share at least 2 of François Truffaut's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Georges Delerue shares the most, 12.

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles