A Simple Little Gift

Thousands of words have been spilled in gushing praise of legendary director François Truffaut's Small Change, but leave it to equally legendary film critic Pauline Kael to sum up this 1976 movie most succinctly, describing it as "a poetic comedy that's really funny." A series of vignettes filmed with Truffaut's...

By Jason Heller

December 24, 2009

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Thousands of words have been spilled in gushing praise of legendary director François Truffaut's Small Change, but leave it to equally legendary film critic Pauline Kael to sum up this 1976 movie most succinctly, describing it as "a poetic comedy that's really funny." A series of vignettes filmed with Truffaut's clear eye and structural flair, Small Change is, in a way, heir to two of the director's earlier meditations on youth, The 400 Blows and The Wild Child -- only delivered with more of a documentarian's style and filtered through a lens and sensibility that's both sentimental and unflinchingly raw. And, as Kael points out, it's also damn funny.

As effortless as it is profoundly affecting, Small Change returns to the big screen after a long absence, thanks to a newly restored 35mm print (as well as the passion and vision of the folks at the Denver Film Society). The movie opens with Christmas Day screenings at 2:15 and 5 p.m., then continues for a week-long run at Starz FilmCenter, in the Tivoli building on the Auraria campus. Admission ranges from $6 to $9.50; for tickets and info, call 303-595-3456 or visit www.denverfilm.org.
Dec. 25-31, 2009

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