Vivement dimanche! (Confidentially Yours)

Cast: Fanny Ardant, Jean-Louis Trintignant

Director: François Truffaut

Running time: 110 min

Release year: 1983

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Film review by George Sand

François Truffaut's final film is a stylish black and white detective thriller that pays tribute to his favourite master of suspense, Alfred Hitchcock.

In Annette Insdorf's book "François Truffaut: A New Life, a New Film," (March 1984), Truffaut gave his reasons for his attraction to the original story -- The Long Saturday Night, by Charles Williams:

I liked the idea of a "série noire" (detective novel) without the gangsters. Second, the relationship between a secretary and her boss, which can be so amusing, has not been explored in recent films. And most of all, I wanted to make a detective film with Fanny Ardant. I read many novels by Williams and found that he created the best roles for women. I liked the idea of an "ordinary" woman from daily life conducting the investigation. Fanny represents in France a certain elegance and lyricism. I wanted to show that she could be a comedienne -- in a popular role, behind a typewriter.

Truffaut's instinct about Fanny Ardant was right. She's charming and delightful in every scene. She's feisty, witty and stunning with a great sense of comedic timing. There is a natural chemistry between Fanny and Jean-Louis Trintignant where their exchanges and banters complement one another. The comedy effortlessly serves as a relief to the tension of the thriller aspect of the film.

There is a certain ease and conviction in Fanny's performance that reflects the rapport between actress and director, and their shared vision of the film. Her performance literally drives the plot and the film.

Some critics challenged that this film lacks the depth of some of Truffaut's earlier films such as Les Quatre cents coups (The 400 Blows) and Jules & Jim, and even Truffaut himself was ambivalent. But if truth be told, Vivement dimanche! has more enduring appeal and is far more entertaining than the earlier classics. The thriller is as intriguing today as it was 20 years ago. The young Fanny Ardant could easily have been a 21st century heroine.

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