The 400 Blows

"The 400 Blows" is the famous 1959 film by New Wave director, Francois Truffaut. (The title is a French expression meaning "to raise 'heck'.") Filmed in black and white, with very simple music and the raw look of a low-budget documentary, it is a glimpse into the life of troubled adolescent. Antoine Doinel is poor, has cold and indifferent parents and teachers, and spends his days cutting school and getting into trouble. When his parents give up on him, he is sent to a juvenile detention facility that resembles a jail.

The cinema verite style of unsentimental photography and gritty locales manages to make even Paris look tawdry, almost ugly, because that's how Antoine views his life. Growing up neglected and misunderstood has made him a streetwise child who dreams of escape. The stark and sudden ending allows the viewer to decide what might happen to Antoine next (although Truffaut found the character so intriguing, he made three more movies about Antoine as he grows older).

Directed by Francois Truffaut
Starring Jean-Pierre Léaud, Claire Maurier, Albert Rémy and Guy Decomble
99 minutes
Black and white - French language

Video:
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.35:1

Audio:
French: LPCM Mono

Subtitles: English

This was my second time seeing The 400 Blows. I initially gave it a 4/5 and found it interesting, but it's growing on me and is now a 4.5/5.

The story is bleak, but very realistic, which isn't surprising considering that it's semiautobiographical. Truffaut's early life must have been hard. His parents tried at times, but treated him badly or with indifference at other times.

Much of the early part of the film is set in a classroom and we meet his classmates and learn his general attitude toward school. The discipline was very different than what we might expect today. He has one particular friend who encourages him to skip class and we see their shared experiences on the streets of Paris.

The friend is partly responsible for leading him astray and encouraging him to steal which leads into the second part of the story where we see the consequences of his bad behavior and his lies.

Some of the school scenes remind me of my childhood, although I had a much happier upbringing.

The main thing that brings Antoine happiness is cinema and the happiest time spent with his parents involves a trip to see a film.

The film also provides a snapshot of Paris in the late 50s. Shot in black and white and told from Antoine's viewpoint, we often see exactly what he sees through the choice of camera angles. His perspective also shows us that he thinks of himself in very different ways from the way in which he is viewed by others. We can empathize with his situation completely.

The film demonstrates how frightening, daunting and impossible life can seem when you're growing up.

Truffaut died aged 52 after making 21 features and this makes me want to see more of them.

Picture quality: 4/5 (excellent for the vintage)
Audio 5/5 (the music really added to the experience and everything was clear)

I've spent decades avoiding THE 400 BLOWS, afraid it was either dark and brooding, or a documentation of child abuse (physical and/or emotional), or an angry and vindictive assault on the authors' of Francois Truffaut's traumatic childhood.
I shouldn't have worried. THE 400 BLOWS is a gentle and compassionate movie. It isn't overwhelmed by its anger, although a few characters, particularly the coming-of-age hero's mother and his school teacher, aren't terribly sympathetic. Being new to THE 400 BLOWS, I found the commentary by Premiere magazine film critic Glen Kenny especially helpful in understanding French New Wave cinema in general and Truffaut in particular. By the way, according to Kenny "400 blows" refers to a French colloquialism similar to the American "paint the town red." It means to give oneself over to every type of excess, and raise a little heck in the process.