Figureheads of the French New Wave, Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut met in the early 1950s on their frequent visits to the Cinémathèque française and at screenings organised by various Parisian film clubs at the time (such as the Rue Danton film club in the Latin quarter where showings were regularly presented by Éric Rohmer). The two young film enthusiasts forged a strong friendship, but their relationship deteriorated in the late 1960s. The letters, postcards and telegrams in the collection at the Cinémathèque suisse recount their changing relationship.
Fonds CSL 193 was donated to the Cinémathèque suisse by Madeleine Morgenstern, François Truffaut’s wife. Hervé Dumont collected it from Paris on 12 April 2005.