The 400 Blows - Criterion Collection (1959)

It Endlessly Rewards Close Attention

"The Four Hundred Blows," (1959) a drama with comic touches, was the first full-length feature film from famed French director/movie critic Francois Truffaut, and is generally considered the first "Nouvelle Vogue" film - that is, new wave. Truffaut had previously been active as a movie critic on "Cahiers du Cinema," a well-known French magazine devoted largely to American films, when, almost on a bet, he decided to try his hand at film-making. The result, "400 Blows," at 99 minutes, made when he was just 28, is, of course, world-famous. It is generally considered a pioneering film, and a triumph of movie-making. It's still fresh, interesting, closely-observed, and intense, after all these years.

Truffaut both wrote and directed his script. It's set in dreary wintertime Paris, in the part of the city where Truffaut grew up, the working class "banlieus" of Montmartre, far from its iconic tourist attractions. Much of the film is set in an extremely cramped apartment, six flights up, typical working class housing of the time, where the young Antoine Doinel is nightly sent down with the garbage.

We see Antoine, meant to be 12 years old, and instinctively played by the 15-year old Jean-Pierre Leaud, at home, with his somewhat neglectful, distracted parents. His kindly stepfather, Julian Doinel (Albert Remy), married his beautiful mother Gilberte (Claire Maurier), giving his name to her illegitimately-born son, who initially lived with his grandmother. His mother doesn't seem to much care for her boy. We also see Antoine at school, where he is definitely not a teacher's pet. We're supposed to believe that the boy's somewhat unsupportive environment causes him to run away and predisposes him to a life of petty crime. Though frankly, compared to the horrors we've seen, in the way of abusive families and dysfunctional schools, nothing about his young life seems that terrible to me. Be that as it may, Doinel does run away; with his young friend Rene, he goes to the movies a lot, and slips into petty criminality. He's found out, goes through the justice system, as his parents wash their hands of him, and is sent to reform school.

Truffaut told interviewers he was strongly influenced by the films of Alfred Hitchcock, and, closer to home, Jean Renoir, son of the famous painter Pierre Auguste. The director believed that this first film of his was the first film to center on a child, in an unsentimental way, and to treat its material in an almost documentary style. All sources agree that the picture is strongly semi-autobiographical: Truffaut was illegitimately born, and raised by his grandparents; he started his heavy movie-going at age seven. He was a great reader but not a good pupil, and left school at 14 to get a job. He was sent to jail for desertion from the army.

The movie, an accretion of wonderful interludes, endlessly rewards close attention. There's a schoolboy ripping his copybook apart, as his pen keeps blotting the pages. A punch and judy show filmed before a live audience of little children, showing their fresh, unguarded reactions, as it was done with a hidden camera. A jog, supposedly supervised by the gym teacher, taken through the streets of Paris by the schoolboys: Truffaut's camera shows the boys quietly peeling off. Antoine's shaken-up ride in a gravitron at a local amusement park. The little shrine Antoine sets up at home to famed French author Honore Balzac, whose work he loves: he lights a candle to the author, and sets the apartment on fire. And, finally, a remarkable long tracking shot of Antoine running, running, running away from the reform school towards the sea, which he's never seen. And a freeze-frame shot at the seashore that film scholars will probably argue about for a good long time.

August 20, 2008

Beautiful cinematography

Antonine Doinel, is a 13 year old boy who gets in trouble at school, gets yelled at by his Mom and Dad and eventually runs away from home to a life of petty crime with his friend. He eventually gets caught and is sent to reform school by his parents.

This cinematography in this movie is first rate - even in black and white - boosting my rating from a 2 to a 3. Beautiful scenes of Paris, the countryside, the ocean, the school yards and the facial expressions of the main characters.

However, I found the storyline unbelievable. Antonine did not strike me as having such a difficult upbringing to lead to his skipping school, committing petty theft and running away from home. He had food to eat. His parents loved him. He had shelter. His parents seemed quite well intentioned even with the latch key aspects of his upbringing. His parents also seemed far too well intentioned to dump him in reform school over some minor crimes. Finally, the pace of this movie is excruciatingly slow. This movie wasn't for me.




May 24, 2008

Intriguing.

The 400 Blows is a beautiful black and white french film. The cinematography is breathtaking and the acting is glorious. I watched this gem for my College film class a few years back and I enjoyed it more than I thought I would. The ending is a bit disappointing but this film has always stayed with me, I highly recommend checking this classic out! May 20, 2008

A cinematic masterpiece

Truffaut's insights into childhood are legendary; but this film is also a visual journey through the human soul. From the masterful interiors to the splendid crane-like shots of Paris in mid century, this film is truly nothing less than a loving camera taking us to the deepest reaches of our need for personal expression. May 3, 2008

An Extraordinary Performance

This great classic revolves around the impenetrable character of Antoine Doinel. I think that much of the tension that the film creates (and never resolves) comes from our inability to see even a little beyond his impassive, stoic mask. We want very much to help him, but don't know how. Many images in this film are very hard to get out of your head afterwards. It truly deserves its high reputation. November 25, 2007

More reviews at Amazon.com ...