The 400 Blows

The 400 Blows (1959)

Director: Francois Truffaut

Writers:

Francois Truffaut
Marcel Moussy

Cast:

Jean-Pierre Leaud
Patrick Auffay
Albert Remy
Claire Maurier
Guy Decomble
Georges Flamant
Richard Kanayan

Running Time: 99 Minutes

I like to consider myself a fan of cinema. In my lifetime I have seen my fair share of films. I would like to think I know my stuff when it comes to discussing film and everything about it. For the first time while watching a movie and it's features I learnt something new. I had heard the term French New Wave. However I also had a confused look on my face when it came to discussions about such subject matter. After The 400 Blows I can safely say I understand the term enough to be able to discuss French New Wave. I understand it's a form of cinema that several directors changed the styles of classic cinema and experimented with Visual Style, Editing and Narrative. The 400 Blows may be my first Truffaut but I can see why it's today considered a masterpiece in the realm of cinema.

The 400 Blows is about a young adolescent by the name of Antoine Doinel. We see life from his point of view. The boy is always in trouble at school, His grades are less then average, his parents don't know what to do with him and barely show him an ounce of love unless it's called upon due to forms of their own selfish needs. Antoine's only escape from such trials and tribulations are his closest friend and the local cinema. After some events that are undertaken in the film, Antoine decides to live life as a runaway and falls into a life of petty crime. All coming to a conclusion that leaves the viewer more or less on what can only be described as a open book that will be seen in many years to come as the tales of Antoine Doinel.

I will start straight away with the acting in The 400 Blows. Child actors are a rare breed in terms of sustaining a career in the film industry. Jodie Foster and Drew Barrymoore are exceptions when it comes to having a healthy career. For me it's rare to see a performance from a child that completely stuns me. Jean-Pierre Leaud as Antoine is an amazing performance. Mature, Strong and in some instances downright Heart Breaking. Another time that I've seen a performance from a child actor thrown into a film that completely shocked me as to how amazing child actors are when given the right roles were Jimmy Bennett and Dylan and Cole Sprouse in The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things. Never have three young actors been put in situations that would be considered a nightmare for any child. That's how I feel about Jean-Pierre in The 400 Blows, the kid is amazing and delivers one of the best child roles I've witnessed.

The supporting cast of actors are also great. We have Claire Maurier who delivers the role of Antoines mother. A role that is harsh in the simplest of words. A mother who has moments that one can only describe as heartless. She pulls off the mother who doesn't show love towards her child very well. Albert Remy in the beginning as his stepfather I thought may be his saving grace when some tender moments are shared on screen. This is only a blink of the eye as Antoines misunderstood actions are the cause of so much friction. Lastly Albert Remy as Julien who is Antoines closest friend is what I'd describe as the only light in his life. Giving him food, a place to stay and friendship and love that is rarely seen from any of the adults in this movie. Sad that this film is semi autobiographical and it makes it that little bit harder to watch when you know Truffaut lived through a lot of these situations.

Now visually The 400 Blows is amazing for it's time. The Paris streets, city scape's and sky line are brilliantly shot to perfection in this movie. It's movies like this that show you the in and outs of the city and make you actually want to visit such a place regardless of the subject matter that is shown on screen. A few wonderful tracking shots. camera angles and lots of beautiful shots of Paris give this movie something more then the norm. Truffaut and Co. certainly deliver on the details and it makes for a highly interesting watch.

The score in this film is something I noticed straight away. I will be honest and state that in the realm of film that the last thing I notice in a movie is the score. I can pick up songs right of the bat but a score registers last to me in terms of what goes on in a film. With Amarcord and The 400 Blows I really enjoyed the scores for these films. Danny Elfman, Hanz Zimmer, John Williams, James Newton Howard are all composers I enjoy. I would say that I like their scores the best and what they have to offer. In The 400 Blows I was surprised to pick it up as I watched the movie. Jean Constantin is a new composer to me but he delivered a wonderful score that to me gave some scenes a little more light then what was being displayed on screen.

Lastly The 400 Blows is a film that I really enjoyed. It's simple in terms of story yet everything that is thrown at you on screen makes this movie a brilliant one. I can see why in many circles it's considered one of the greatest movies ever made. The acting from the young cast is stand out. The film is beautifully shot. The subject matter is what really made this movie for me. The film in one moment is comedic and the next is heart breaking. A film that delivers the goods in all aspects. My only beef with the movie is that it was too short. But thankfully Truffaut continues this story in future movies. Gives me something to look forward to in the future and see how these characters have grown.


NOTABLE SCENES:

- Chapter Six: Stolen Kiss: This scene is the first scene that really hit hard for me. To be so young and already have an understanding that your mother is barely showing any love to her own child yet while he's jigging a day at school happens to catch his mother kissing another man that isn't his stepfather. This scene is sad because as the movie continues on the mothers love towards her son is entirely fabricated because he now has the power to tell his stepfather the mother is cheating on him. The only time the mother shows anything for her child and it's based on lies. A sad scene that only gets worse for Antoine.

- Chapter Ten: Smaller And Smaller: One of the most comedic scenes happens to have no slapstick comedy in it at all. We see the PE Teacher taking all the boys out for a run through the streets of Paris. But him leading the group we see from rooftops overlooking the streets that block by block the group of kids gets smaller as two or three dart off every couple of seconds down alleys and through doorways and by the end of the scene the group of kids goes from twenty five to five. A nice little scene that shows us as an audience how the rebel against there adults.

- Chapter Fifteen: Childhood Magic: A simple scene by all means. Yet so much emotion in the faces of all the little children who are sitting watching a puppet show of Little Red Riding Hood. Happy, Scared, Excited are just some of the emotions shown on the children's faces. A wonderful little scene that shows so much in something so simple.

- Chapter Sixteen: Heist: This scene is where the petty crime goes into overdrive. Antoine and Rene decide to go to Antoines fathers work and steal a typewriter. What I love about this scene is that they end up not being able to sell it. They nearly get ripped off by an adult and in the end decide to return it only to be caught. This scene pretty much sums up the rest of what goes down in The 400 Blows. It has a snowball effect in terms of trouble and it's why I love the scene so much.


EXTRAS:

- Audio Commentary (1): Cinema Professor Brian Stonehill's commentary is a good listen. He is very informed on all things Truffaut. It makes for a entertaining information session on what went down in this films production. The one thing that came off strange to me in regards to this commentary is that it also has interview supplements with the screenwriter Marcel Moussy. I was trying to keep up with both and the two different stories they were telling in regards to the production.

- Audio Commentary (2): Second Commentary is done by Robert Lachenay who is a lifelong friend of Francois Truffaut. A very informative commentary in terms of just what happened in their childhood. What him and Truffaunt got upto when they were roaming the city causing chaos. I really enjoyed this commentary and is worth a listen. More entertaining for me then the first commentary.

- Auditions: I love that the special features are called Psychological Profiles on this release. The auditions are in relation to Jean-Pierre Leaud, Patrick Auffey and Richard Kanayan. The younger cast members. It's enjoyable in the terms of seeing how mature these kids were before they went into production. The standout being Richard Kanayan who can actually belt out a tune. A great feature for this Criterion Release.

- Cannes 1959: Interviews and Cannes Footage featuring Jean-Pierre Leaud. It's interesting in the sense that we witness Jean-Pierre taking questions for the press and seeing how he reacts to the questions and what his thoughts are on the film. I loved that he answered all questions in such a mature way. He seemed very mature for his age in the interviews.

- Cineastes de notre temps: A 22 Minute interview with Francois Truffaut. It was filmed for a TV show and discusses many topics in relation to the characters, the film and has interviews with Jean-Pierre Leaud and Albert Remy. A good watch if you wanted to know more about some later films of Truffaut.

- Cinepanorama: A 7 minute interview with Francois Truffaut. It's just after his return from New York where The 400 Blows won Best Foreign Language film by the New York Film Critics Circle. A good watch to find out which countries are and aren't liking the film. Who have picked it up for distribution and who hasn't and lastly what countries are having issues with the subject matter in the film.

- Theatrical Trailer: This 4 minute trailer is just like the previous trailers. Shows lots of footage of the film. But what I love about this trailer is the opening as it shows reviews from newspapers and all the uproar this film had critics in. A fun trailer and a decent one for once.


RATING: 10 out of 10


SPINE: 5