Day for Night

Day for Night
  • Release date: 7 Sep 1973
  • Release year: 1973
  • Runtime: 116 minutes
  • Country: France, Italy
  • Keywords: film within a film, film industry, film crew, behind the scenes, filmmaking, f rated, artistic creation, showbiz drama, france, gentle cinema
Plot:
French filmmaker Ferrand lives for movies, he dreaming about his fondest memories of them when he sleeps. He is currently at the Victorine Studios in Nice filming his latest movie "Je vous presente Pamela" - English titled "Meet Pamela" - with production and post-production services handled in Paris. The story is about the recently wedded title character falling mutually in love with her new father-in-law upon first meeting. There are a slew of potential problems in this production. British born Hollywood actress Julie Baker, who portrays Pamela, recently had a nervous breakdown, and as such the film's insurance company will not cover any issues that arise on set because of her. Alphonse, who portrays her husband, is still at an immature stage of his young real life, he who has managed to get his current girlfriend, Liliane, a job as the movie's script girl. In his fragile state of mind, he may be more concerned about what Liliane is up to on set than his own performance. Alexandre, who portrays the father-in-law, also has other things on his mind as he is awaiting the arrival of an unknown someone at Nice Airport, most believing that person being his latest conquest. Severine, who portrays the mother-in-law, laments her aging movie star status, and thus has taken to drinking on set to calm her nerves. She and Alexandre also had a falling out of sorts during the filming of their last movie together twenty years ago. Stacey, who has a small supporting role as a secretary and who has an iron-clad contract, did not tell Ferrand or any of the production executives that her appearance would be changing as filming progresses, which could be a problem the longer she needs to be on set. And the production manager has allowed the wife of the location manager, Lajoie, on the set as a constant presence as she doesn't trust her husband around all these immoral movie types. As filming progresses, Ferrand's goal of making a great movie may change to his worst nightmare in merely trying to complete a disaster of a movie if these potential problems, and other unforeseen ones, end up rearing their ugly heads.
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