THE GREEN ROOM

France, 1978, 94 minutes, Colour.
Francois Truffaut, Nathalie Baye.
Directed by Francoise Truffaut.

La Chambre Vert is a meditation on death. Truffaut himself, speaking his own lines, portrays Julien, a man who has lost his wife. He has gathered all her belongings into the green room which becomes something of a shrine. Julien had experienced World War One (presented in a visual collage) and lived in a French town. His wife died soon after World War Two.

Julien continues his life, but holds his memories of his wife. His communicates with a deaf boy. He writes obituaries for the local paper. By chance he once again encounters a friend, Cecilia, played by Nathalie Baye. And this has a transforming effect on him.

The film moves quite slowly, a meditative kind of film with its theme of death. It is based on a Henry James novella, the Altar of the Dead. (Other Henry James adaptations to the screen include The Turn of the Screw (The Innocents), The Europeans, The Bostonians, The Golden Bowl.)

Francois Truffaut was a screenwriter as well as a student of film, including his celebrated book of interviews with Alfred Hitchcock. He burst onto the screen with The 400 Blows in the late 1950s (and continued his films about the central character, Antoine Doinel) for the next fifteen years.

During the 1960s, he made a number of strong films, especially Shoot the Pianist, Jules and Jim, Fahrenheit 451, The Bride Wore Black. He also made The Wild Child in 1970. His Oscar-winning film of 1973 was Day for Night. Truffaut also appeared in a number of films, most significantly for international audiences as the scientist in Stephen Spielberg’s Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

1. The quality of this film in itself? As the work of Francois Truffaut? Audience expectations of a film from him? Its place in his developing career and treatment of themes?

2. The importance of World War I? Its vivid presentation in collage during the credits? The superimposition of Julien’s face? His survival of the war? What kind of survival? What died in him, what survived? The ordinary life in the years after the war, its surface ease and respectability? His aloneness, bitterness? His bitterness about surviving and this forming judgments and expectations on others? His philosophy of life, death, memories of the dead? His rigidity of life and the seeds of destruction and death within it?

3. The fact that Truffaut himself played Julien? His writing of Julien's lines and his interpretation of them? Truffaut's judgment on the character of Julien and his experience?

4. The significance of the death of Julien's friend's wife? The friend's grief and wanting to give up, kill himself? Julien's comfort? His attack on the priest and the attack on professional mourning? His criticism of the words of comfort given for those who survive? His making the parallel with his own experience of the death of his wife Julie? Julien's later disillusionment when his friend remarried and came to visit him at his office? Julien's rightness, perhaps, in theory about fidelity - but its ignoring of the need to continue living and coping? How did this set the tone for the audience understanding Julien's rigid attitude towards life and the memory of the dead?

5. Julien and his work at The Globe? The fact that the paper was sold and to that extent dying? His writing of the obituaries and so many during the year? The preoccupation with death and his ability to reflect on it and write it up? The portrayal of his relationship with the editor, with fellow workers? Their not understanding him? His pedantic attitudes - especially as illustrated when he has to write up the obituary of Massigny? The fact that they did not know him well?

6. The contrast with his life at home? The deaf boy and his place in the household, Julien's communication with him? His showing him the slides of war and the visual impact of these and the governess and her complaining? What was Julien trying to do with the boy in educating him? His tenderness of communication, inviting him to help build the chapel? His severity after the destruction of the chapel and of the slides and the boy's running away, his experience in the police station and Julien's harshness? The governess and her looking after Julien? his using her to buy the ring at the auction? His leaving the boy in her care? The fact that he vent on tours with his slides? How well did the audience really know him?

7. The background of the auction and his giving his views against auctions? The meeting of Cecilia and the discussion about the ring and the memories? This using of the governess to buy the ring - and the drama of the auction sequence to heighten audience curiosity about the motives for getting the ring?

8. The green room itself and the audience being taken in to it by Julien? Its appearance, the shrine and the ritual aspects, Julien's almost religious behaviour there? The reason for its existence? The relics and memories of his dead wife? How much did she mean to him? was sufficient background given to the quality of their marriage? The burning of the room and its impact on him? The visit to the chapel and the idea of the shrine? The discussion with the church authorities? his enthusiasm with the building and taking the boy? Sharing the experience with Cecilia? The pictures, the candles, all his dead present and being remembered by him and thus, to some extent, living? His philosophy of the presence of the dead and their influence? Their uniqueness and their unique influence on a person's life? The cameras moving around the chapel and giving the audience something of Julien’s feel for it? The irony of Julien's reaction against Massigny? His presence in the chapel, the extinguishing of the candle?

9. The chance meeting with Cecilia? her presence at the auction, her work, her memories of Julien and her devotion to him? The sharing of ideas, mutual sympathy? The irony of the revelation of her affair with Massigny, her presence at his funeral and at the cemetery? The irony of Julien's sudden discovery of the relationship? his previous asking her to help and his reliance on her especially as a guard for the chapel? his hostility in the discovery and its effect on him, on her? Should he have taken more notice of her, should he have relented?

10. The portrait of Cecilia as a sympathetic person, her comments on having just one dead? Her comments on and views of his theory? Their being able to be reconciled?

11. The picture of Massigny - and his presence in the film only when dead? An illustration of the influence of the dead? Cecilia’s love for him and a favourable view of him despite his faults? Julien and his memories. bitterness, broken friendships and betrayal? The hostile obituary that he wrote? his hurt and his hatred?

12. How should Julien have reacted to Cecilia, the possibility of love. a second marriage, the healing of memories, a truer understanding of the dead and their place in a person's life?

13. Why did he become so ill, why did he die? Did he allow himself to die? The visit of the doctor? The concern of the governess, of the boy, of Cecilia? his return to the chapel and the extinguishing of the candle?

14. how particularly French was the film in its style, approach to life, philosophy? French reflection and emphasis on dialogue? French love for speculation? Themes of world wars, the 20th century and the prevalence of death? The need for memories being kept alive, for love and fidelity? The impact of hurt and its corrosive effect? The blindness of people who become obsessed by death and memory?

15. The film as a story of death and an exploration of it - not a popular theme in the 20th century? An insight for study of death and its influence? Themes of love, respect, memory, the power and dynamism of memory and its need to be healed?