The 400 Blows

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Theodore P Jan 25, 2019 An honest look at childhood without the frills. The 400 Blows (1959) is Francois Truffaut's brutally honest and emotionally in tuned take on a coming of age drama with his French New Wave style. Truffaut wrote a devilish clever script full of euphemisms and wit. He brings up his own past with the autobiographical story told through the lens of the young boy Antoine Doinel. Truffaut's direction is stunning with long panning shots down Parisian streets, extended tracking shots of running down a road, steady close ups, and aerial perspectives alike. Truffaut's use of the camera gives us full view of all the events in The 400 Blows. He makes sure you see each hit against his adolescence. The cruel words, hard strikes, and devastating decisions made herein are fascinating to witness. Lean-Pierre Leaud is remarkable as Antoine Doinel. His youthful rebellion and affectionate despair is very believable for such a young actor. His face reveals an inner sadness and thoughtfulness most actors never achieve after a lifetime of acting, yet Leaud transforms the film into something deeply empathetic. You feel his pain and excitement with each scene and face. The supporting cast in The 400 Blows is incredible as it is full of intriguing figures. Patrick Auffay is great as the mischievous friend Rene Bigey. Claire Maurier is fantastic as the disaffected and disheartened mother Mme. Doinel. Similarly, the father M. Doinel is wonderfully portrayed by the amiable and stern Albert Remy. Lastly, the horrifyingly cruel and abysmally serious teacher is excellently executed by Guy Decombie. Lastly, Jean Constantin's score to The 400 Blows is unforgettable. The classical and French jazz influence is palpable. The sweet melodies start to feel sadder and more depressing as they repeat. The music really makes the finale on the beach all the more hopeless and poignant. I love The 400 Blows' score. Overall, Truffaut directed a dramatic masterpiece as his directorial debut film. The 400 Blows will stay with me long after I have seen it. I cannot stop thinking about it. See more

George P Nov 6, 2018 This film was great.

Albus S Oct 26, 2018 A story of about a young mans life. This story shows a realistic depiction of adolescence. It is honest ,emotional and true the stage of adolescence. See more

Rey L Oct 11, 2018 Please, allow me to describe this movie with two overused idioms without blaming me that I use clichés; The 400 Blows is a movie that avoids mawkish melodrama, and has a story that is often imitated, but never duplicated. Because, honestly, I haven't seen any movie in my life that deserves these two phrases more than Les Quarte Centre Coups! In his directorial debut, Truffaut gave us a very sympathetic, and beautifully heart-wrenching story of a troubled young boy that you can easily tell that it came out of the legendary filmmaker's heart. I don't say that because this movie is, quite literally, the director's autobiographical story, but because it's impossible to relate to a protagonist such as Antoine Doinel so much like this unless his story is told by someone who really put his heart into this masterwork. We see Antoine as a class clown and troublemaker student, then we see him as a thief. He is also a liar, and above all that, his character is very stoic. So it's very clear that this character doesn't ask for sympathy, neither the movie, in its first act, wants us to empathize with and feel for Antoine. Nevertheless, and as I mentioned above, The 400 Blows is, in fact, a very touching and heartbreaking movie, but how it can be so with such a hateful protagonist. Simply, because Truffaut wittily builds sympathy in the audience by displaying both his misdeeds and the reasons he commits them that are also more than enough to justify them. But both the free technique Truffaut used to unfold the movie's plot, and the freewheeling use of the wide-screen frame also added up to the experience, and made the movie exceptionally engaging and relatable. Jean-Pierre Léaud would go on to a major career in films, but in this movie he gave a truly outstanding performance that I think is one of the best child performances I've seen ever! As the bad qualities of Antoine are displayed on screen, it was necessary that the actor who plays this character would be very talented so he can prove that Antoine is actually a poor down-on-his luck kid, and it's his uncaring parents are those who are responsible for making what Antoine is. And Léaud's expressive and honest facial expressions, and genuine and authentic acting were perfectly adequate to convey all that. However, Francois Truffaut did tend to our feelings a little bit at the end of the second act by using a sensitive score and showing some emotional moments that added an extra layer to Antoine's character, which is his sensitivity. But he didn't do that until he really became totally sympathized with Antoine due to the misfortunes he suffered from. That said, I think that could have happened more gradually. I found the second act a bit hollow, and I think it would have been more captivating if it was richer. But, this very act really grew on me after the movie's final act. I don't want to delve deeper, but there are some similar heart-wrenching moments the two final acts share that became more stronger and meaningful at the third act. In fact, they turned out to be quite disturbing and overwhelming, and made me say; this is how to cause a catharsis in the audience! The real major unforgivable issue I have with this movie is how Antoine's mother's feelings for him changed a great deal halfway through the movie. I understand what Truffaut wanted to do with the story, and why he shifted her character like this, but that didn't work for me at all. I think this shift made Gilberte an extremely problematic character instead of serving the plot. Also, I think by doing so, Truffaut had wasted a great chance to make this character more compelling, and therefore, made the plot more complex, considering the vital role Antoine's mom play in his character arc. That being said, these flaws can't take away the greatness from this bona fide classic that you can tell it has inspired many filmmakers today. It's also one of, if not the best movie that explored the troubled adolescence. And it, unquestionably, marks one of the most impressive directorial debuts in cinema history! (8/10) See more

Abraham S Aug 11, 2018 I love these types of movies, the ones that explore the ideas of childhood and what makes a kid change. In this case, its exploring adolescence. One can watch this movie and feel the troubled sides of Antoine Doinel. Its always a shame to see him punished when the adults in his life like his parents and his teachers do some pretty bad things to him as well yet he is the one punished for it. Its brutally honest and heartbreaking but still a sympathetic portrayal of the struggles between childhood and going into adolescence. See more

Albus R Mar 6, 2018 a true masterpiece of French cinema. "The 400 blows," tells a real and a genuinely heartbreaking tale about a young boy growing up a delinquent. with superb acting, excellent writing and direction, this is a rare art film that not only succeeds as being an art film, but also succeeds at telling a moving story that mainstream audiences can enjoy. 4.5/5 stars See more

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The 400 Blows

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