The 400 Blows

The 400 Blows


The movie 400 Blows by François Truffaut is a memoir directed by the author. Taking place in France in the 30s, it shows a young boy, Antoine with little guidance in the world. This inspires the viewer to be grateful for modern opportunities to chase their dreams. Some aspects of the film were more present than others, and some were not at all strong. However, Truffaut combines vigilance with careful thought and inspiring situations in this thought provoking memoir of his own childhood.
I thought the movie was all around alright, not spectacular, but it did have it’s high points. It also conveys to the viewer the motivation in the characters to go get something that you want, and not let anything stand in the way. It was effective for me in a few ways, the one that stands out most being that if he can chase his dreams under those circumstances, then I can reach my goals as well. Antoine’s lack of a positive attitude did not inspire me, however, because he had no long term goals- no plans. No plan for survival once he ran away. Also, he didn’t try to make things better for himself, or fix them. He ran away from the problem instead of meeting it head on.
Some of the main characters include the rebellious, slightly reckless, largely an introvert, Antoine, who holds the main point of view. His mother, a fancy, self concerned woman who cares not for him, and his stepfather who follows Antoine’s mother are both examples of everything parents should not be to a child. Together, the three make up the semblance of a one dis-functioning, albeit, interesting family. The plot was mainly concerned with a boy who has been oppressed by his surroundings, and therefore has no goals. He ends up finding them when he runs away from his stagnant living environment. The memoir centered around the time period of France in the 30s, and followed Antoine as he braved the difficulties of unruliness in the classroom, loneliness at home- an apartment where Antoine’s only use it taking out the trash-, and eventually, an observation center where Antoine gets his first real taste of freedom. The theme beats happily next to Antoine’s nonconforming heart, letting the viewer know at every possible opportunity to never let go of your dreams. There were symbols in the characters, such as Antoine, the glaring metaphor for plain old rebellion. Also, the mother and stepfather duo, who represent ignorance in the story. However, there were positive symbols too. France in the 18th and 19th centuries built an amazingly successful colonial empire, which Antoine stumbled through daily, never realizing it’s potential or it’s symbolism- opportunity.
The dramatic part of the film was played exceptionally. For one as young as Patrick Auffay, who acted the part of Antoine’s best friend René, the talent was very apparent. He looked the part of an innocent schoolboy who goes with the flow. Slightly pudgy, kind faced and docile enough in character, he suited the acting and the image as I imagine he truly was. However much distaste I held for her character, the actress who played Antoine’s mother was the right pick as well. Ms. Maurier’s subtle useage of impatience and snooty attitude effectively got the viewer to detest her character right off the bat. Mr. Bigey, or ‘Sourpuss’ as the children call him outside of the classroom was played by Georges Flamant. Utilizing some of the same impatience that the mother’s character was so fond of, Mr. Flamant acted the personality of an impatient, hotheaded schoolteacher wonderfully. He was just the right age, and his facial features screamed of teaching unruly pupils. Overall, excellent casting.
The photography of the facial shots, I noticed, was much closer than one gets to another comfortably. For example, quite a few times, the camera looked Antoine squarely in the face, close enough so that the viewer could the details of his facial features quite clearly. The action was tagged by the camera movement almost all of the time, following the main flow of events. Antoine usually got most of the camera time. The memoir was pretty much 3rd person omniscient all of the time, but near the end it made a slightly awkward switch to what felt like first person from Antoine’s point of view. I was impressed with the duration of the shots, it felt almost like the camera was behind the eyes of an onlooker who was watching the main events constantly. So it reminded me of a person mostly only watching the interesting bits. The music I wasn’t really a fan of. However, it was a good mood stimulator. Only, it dumped moods onto me, not only suggested them. It was almost too forceful.
Both memoirs, Black Boy by Richard Wright and The 400 Blows directed by François Truffaut did a good job of not sympathizing with the younger child. In Black Boy, Richard Wright examines burning his house down and killing a kitten with a mature eye, rather than the point of view he must have held as a child. Truffaut examines being a twit in class and making not so smart decisions with property and time. Also, both of the mothers in the two stories showed a lack in care for the physical safety of their child, although Wright does insist in his memoir that his mother loved him by showing specific examples of her care. Truffaut showed exactly the opposite, of his mothers’ secret spite and a longing to be rid of the problem. One thing that was the exact opposite in the two films was the main character’s interests. Wright wanted nothing to do with the nameless, faceless oppression of his time. However, Truffaut seemed to show a tendency in Antoine to want to melt away from society and fall amongst those who have nothing to show for themselves.
I do not recommend this movie to those looking for a meaning in a memoir. For those who like to hear stories of self preservation, this might be a better fit. However, I thought the tale was drawn on longer than necessary, and the director used bits of his life that didn’t need to be known to the viewer. Stylistic choice as it may be, it was rather confusing and not easy to fit into one thing.
Truffaut utilizes many stylistic choices to show the viewer the bulk of his childhood, including, but not limited to dramatic, literary and cinematic elements. Providing that his main inspiration seems to come from the wish to expose his childhood emotions within a TV screen, he uses music and a background of black and white to get some of the more pressing feelings into the open without getting too much inside the main characters’ head. This, combined with the magic of theatre gives The 400 Blows an appropriately singled out feel, leaving the viewer with a sense of nostalgia by the last frame of the film.