The Bride Wore Black (1968)

I like the storyline of this show,it attract me so much

It is a performances centric movie

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It's funny, it's tense, it features two great performances from two actors and the director expertly creates a web of odd tension where you actually don't know what is happening for the majority of the run time.

Truffaut making a film as an homage to Hitchcock is inherently interesting, since they were both such legends. This story is about a young woman (Jeanne Moreau) who was widowed on her wedding day when her husband was killed accidentally by five guys messing around with a rifle; she then seeks to kill them one by one, in revenge. She does this in some pretty unbelievable ways unfortunately, though the way she goes about the killing at the end was creative and a nice touch. Moreau is captivating, the dialogue is fun and in keeping with 1968 France, and Truffaut is a master at capturing great shots - but I have to say, he didn't match Hitchcock in creating tension or emotional drama, so this film ends up being a bit 'too cool', and thus falls short. It's certainly worth watching if you like these directors though.

In 1968, Jeanne Moreau will... KILL FERGUS. Possibly. Truffaut's Hitchcock homage, which in turn led to Kill Bill, pays tribute more in style than in theme, as Moreau's widowed bride tracks down the five men responsible for her husband's death (I say "responsible", four of them get a pretty bum rap), amidst numerous clever directorial touches (like the camera snaking around the bushes in front a potential victim's house) and to the strains of Bernard Herrmann's superb score. It isn't deep, particularly credible or very well plotted, it's shot in the peculiar "pastel shade" fashion of so many European films of the '60s - that extends even to the actors' skin; it's difficult to distinguish between the many drawings of Moreau and the real thing - and there's a very silly death scene effect that is almost certainly not a joke, but for the most part it's fast-moving and fun, particularly if you like seeing lecherous Frenchmen being killed.

The main problem when you want to pay tribute to someone you admire in films is risking yourself to not put the other person qualities and neither yours in it, and in the end a lack of identity is what you get from this tribute. I'm not saying that "La Mariée était en Noir" ("The Bride Wore Black") isn't a good film or that it's not directed by a talented man like François Truffaut but what we see in this film is something that doesn't sound or look like none of his works and don't even get close to the thrills the master of suspense Alfred Hitchcock gave us in his classics, and this is Truffaut's tribute to the man.Jeanne Moreau is Julie, the bride of the title who's on a quest for revenge against five men behind the murder of her future husband during her wedding ceremony. The plot sounds very familiar now after Tarantino's "Kill Bill" series of films, and he claims never heard of this film before. There's plenty of differences in both stories, obviously, but both are very good films.As mentioned, Truffaut pays a tribute to Hitchcock, not only in this being a film of suspense but also working with composer Bernard Herrmann in the musical score, and some elements, sequences and plans created by the master. The film is quite good, has decent performances but it also has some problems too. Herrmann's music is overused and doesn't add nothing to the story; the screenplay is interesting but flawed, never explaining to us how on earth Julie managed to track down these guys, and despite some great revelations as the plot unfolds (when the woman discovers what really happened with her husband) those surprises aren't enough to make us feel intrigued by the story since the heroine is too perfect, nothing goes wrong with her, her plans always seems to work (lack of surprises on this field) and the guys she's after are too soft, there's no evil on them but the way things moves there's no way they could be evil. A little bit of instinct and self defense issues on them would work here but they're so weak. On bowing his head to a great director, Truffaut made a film where's very difficult to see himself, his ingredients or Hitch. Although many actors of his habitual collaborations are present like Moreau ("Jules et Jim"), Michael Lonsdale ("Baisers Volés"), Jean-Claude Brialy ("The 400 Blows"), Charles Denner ("The Man Who Loved Women") among others, and some qualities in style of filmmaking it's very difficult to see his sense of humor, his great sense of rhythm while conducing dramatic scenes, since most of them become very exhaustive to watch or even a cameo role just like great Alfred used to do. The great thing about "The Bride Wore Black" is the fact of being a good film as usual in Truffaut's filmography, never disappoints (just a little). Totally watchable. 8/10

Truffaut pays homage to Hitchcock in this suspense thriller starring the incredible Jeanne Moreau. She competently portrays a widow consumed with revenge and seeking retribution for the murder of her husband, but unfortunately the film's screenplay and direction don't allow for her to display her extraordinary talent. The Bride Wore Black is a solid film and although it's enjoyable, it's clearly one of Truffaut's lesser works. Don't get me wrong - I'm a huge Truffaut fan and Jeanne Moreau is also was of my all time favorites actresses - it's just that this film of Truffaut's doesn't come anywhere close to holding the same magic as The 400 Blows, Jules & Jim, Don't Shoot the Piano Player, or Day for Night. Like I said - it's not a bad film, just don't have expectations to be blown away.