8. Francois Truffaut And Jean Pierre Leaud
Films Together: The 400 Blows, Antoine and Colette, Stolen Kisses, Bed and Board, Two English Girls, Day for Night and Love on the Run. Francois Truffaut and Jean Pierre Leaud go together like Michael Bay and explosions, only the work of the two French men is actually watchable. Leaud is most famous for his role as Antoine Doinel across four films spanning 20 years. Doinel is essentially Truffaut's alter-ego and Leaud plays him from a boy to a man, in what is a career defining role. The 400 Blows was Truffaut's first film as a director and Leaud's first film in the starring role and they would stay together until Truffaut's early death in 1984. Leaud brought great sophistication to his early roles, and Truffaut used him to express all his angst over his childhood and relationship with his parents. The men seemed to have an astounding bond and understanding, which is why they both constantly created beautiful and magnificent art. Leaud also worked with the likes of Jean-Luc Godard, Jean Cocteau, Pier Paulo Pasolini and Bernardo Bertolucci, and whilst he made more films with Godard than he did Truffaut, he never quite captured the same magic that he did with the man who made him a star. Truffaut and Leaud made some of most personal films in cinema and The 400 Blows remains the greatest movie made about adolescence, and Leaud's performance is still the benchmark for all child performances.