Day for Night is conceived as a loving satire on the peculiar obsessions of movie people. Truffaut captures the vanity of actors; when asked to discuss the film they are shooting, each actor describes his own character as the protagonist. Day for Night also contains some tart observations on the single-mindedness of the director, Ferrand (played by Truffaut himself), who is immersed in the shadow world of movies. (p. 253)

[Although] it pokes fun at the egotism of actors, the film is really a love letter to a group of fabulous monsters. The clear-eyed but affectionate attitude toward actors helps to explain Truffaut's superb work with actors throughout his career. Similarly, Truffaut mocks the romanticism of movies (including his own earlier movies) without destroying all our illusions. (p. 254)

Setting out to deglamorize movies by exposing all the tricks, hard work and crazy accidents that contribute to the manufacture of...