MisterWhiplash The subversion here is that this is one of the Hitchcock "Wrong Man" type of movies, where a character (in his films it was always a man since, I suppose, that was his only real frame of reference when it came to these complicated thrillers as far as who the audience could see themselves in), but the one who is really figuring everything out and doing all of the hard work is Fanny Ardant's character. One might want to feel bad that Trintagnant is in this position of needing to prove his innocence, but for much of the film he seems to be in his own office hiding away while Ardant goes off to Nice, pretends to be a street-walker, follows suspicious characters and does all the work that one usually sees someone with authority do. Of course Ardant's Barbara isn't some professional at this and gets thrown into the thick of this mystery as much as Julien. But it's just the clever twist Truffaut (and writer and longtime collaborator Suzanne Schiffman) found adapting this book: we actually can have strong and quick-minded women who can solve a case bit by bit - in this case, as we see, a little acting training helps the learning curve - and I was impressed by just how much Truffaut puts on Ardant's shoulders to carry. When I got the DVD, I thought it would be the typical thing of it being Tritignant's movie with his lady friend by his side (again, think back to 39 Steps and North by Northwest for that template). So while Truffaut and Almendros get rich black and white photography of this story, setting it in a mood moreso than a specific time (some of Barbara's clothes cant be mistaken for being from after 1980), the film has a solid progressive undercurrent to it all. She has total agency, and Ardant is charming, assertive, and compelling in her performance (Tritignant is good too, though after a while I found his demeanor kind of one note - she carries much more of the charm between him, though he does try).Is some of this a little light or too reliant on those "a-ha# those two names match, snap fingers!" beats? Absolutely. That's part of the fun though, and if you key into it then theres not too much one needs to intellectualize about what goes on (unless one wants to read even deeper into the gender politics of it all, how women have to but also chose to act in a number of ways when its this male dominated sorta-scuzzy French crime world of the movies). What cant help but be brought up, as so many have done, is that this was Truffaut's final movie. It never has that feel of being some total, all-encompassing statement to me about Truffaut and his beloved Hitch. One can certainly try to read it that way, but I doubt he knew what was to come that would take him from the world so tragically young (he was 51, 52 I think, he was 50 when this came out). While I wouldn't rank what is Confidentially Yours as a light (though not necessarily overly comic) twisty dramatic-thriller as one of his finest, to his credit he didn't go out slumming it either; if anything, its style helps make it so that if one wanted to go from, say, Shoot the Piano Player right into this, the quality wouldn't be a terrible drop off.

JLRMovieReviews We open on a dusk-filled marsh-like field of France. A man is crouched down in position for duck/bird hunting, when from behind him a man approaches and shoots him. Such begins Francois Truffaut's "Confidentially Yours." Fanny Ardant is a secretary who has for some time been in love with her employer. When he is under suspicion by the police for the killing, she sets out to help him. Through a series of Hitchcockian developments and scenarios, they are thrust together. More murders occur, even as he is trying to keep an arm's length away from the police. I thought I had more to say, but this was a very enjoyable film that got more complicated as it went along. At times, it felt very tongue-in-cheek and in others the imminent danger was intense. But make sure you see this (on TV or DVD) with subtitles you can read. The top of the second line was at the bottom of the screen, barely making it readable. Otherwise, a very well-made film with good lead actors and a haunting mysteriousness about it make this a very rewarding experience.

A Barros Truffaut did some beautiful movies and this, along with La femme d'à coté, is a favorite. The B&W gives the film ambiance, Fanny Ardent gives the film grace. She's the heart and soul of the film and is in very good company. The plot is smart and full of twists - will keep you hooked to the end. What initially appears to be another passion crime unfolds into the secret relationships of the deceased, into the underworld, and into the many abilities of a secretary that happens to be in love with the boss. The movie is very instigating in showing a feminist approach to crime solving, where, surprisingly, the heroin is ready to stand rather strong abuse. Well worth bearing the legends if you can't handle French.

SoftKitten80 For such a big Hitchcock fan Truffaut disappointed a bit with this movie. We see the starkness of Hitchcock. We see the mood music as in Psycho. But it is not Hitchcock. The lead actress is unremarkable in every way. Her face is quite gaunt. None of the actors stand out. The story tends to drag. Truffaut was perhaps better for Hitchcock in helping to keep his name before the public than any other director. There is a disparity between his admiration for the British director and his ability to make the same type of suspense films. The film had a very foreign feel to it, not pleasantly so. There was maybe not enough starkness. Definitely not enough richness. But worth seeing to better understand Truffaut's style.