Truffaut's "A Certain Tendency of the French Cinema"

Truffaut’s "A Certain Tendency of the French Cinema" is a film critic essay that challenges the traditional, formulaic approach to filmmaking in France, particularly the dominance of the "Tradition of Quality" style. He advocates for a more personal, authentic, and emotionally honest cinema that reflects real life and individual directors’ creative visions. Truffaut argues that French cinema should move away from over-staged, literary adaptations towards more innovative storytelling rooted in genuine human experience. This essay helped spark the French New Wave, a movement emphasizing youthful experimentation, authenticity, and auteur-driven filmmaking.