The 400 Blows
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VHS Tape Cover Information
Actor: Bernard Abbou, Jean-Fran?ois Bergouignan, Luc Andrieux, Patrick Auffay, Robert BeauvaisPrimary Contributor: Jean-Pierre L?aud
Primary Contributor: Albert R?my
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Original Language); French (Original Language), Analog
Format: Black & White, NTSC, Widescreen
Running Time: 99 minutes
Release Date: 1998-04-28
Publisher: Home Vision Cinema
Studio: Home Vision Cinema
VHS Movie Reviews of The 400 Blows
Movie Review: Unforgettable
Summary: 5 Stars
The 400 Blows is a film that, many say, predated Elia Kazan's East of Eden. The 400 Blows came out in 1959; French director Francois Truffaut directed the film, which follows the difficult existence--both at home and at school--of a very young boy, Antoine (Jean Pierre Leaud).
The film's opening scene is in a classroom. The teacher sits at the head of the classroom; his sharp voice rings out over the students. A pin-up photo makes its rounds on the student's desks. The teacher is preoccupied, his head is down, and he is reading from his notes. But at the precise instant Antoine passes the pin-up, the teacher looks up and catches Antoine red-handed. The teacher orders Antoine to stand in the corner while his classmates run out for a recess in the schoolyard. Right off the bat, it's established that Antoine will suffer consequences for everything that he does. While serving his sentence in the corner of the classroom, Antoine attempts a poem on the chalkboard. The teacher sees the poem and orders Antoine to clean it off of the chalkboard. Antoine gets some rags to wipe off the chalkboard. The teacher yells at Antoine for making even more of a mess.
At home, Antoine's parents treat him as a tenant. His mother, Madame Doinel (Claire Maurier), is
Antoine's young and beautiful mother; Monsieur Doinel (Albert Remy) is Antoine's na?ve stepfather. Money is short, and late at night, Antoine's parents yell at each other. They argue about money. They are behind on the bills. They argue about Antoine eating too much and getting himself into trouble at school. Antoine develops an interest in Balzac. Again, this gets Antoine into trouble. He builds a small shrine to Balzac in his parent's home. He lights a candle and places it inside this shrine. This gesture nearly burns down the apartment.
One day, Antoine skips school to have fun. He has some explaining to do the following day. His teacher is cynical and sarcastic; he's heard every excuse from Antoine. Antoine tells the teacher that his mother died. This lie wins the sympathy of his teacher. Then, a boy stops by Antoine's home. The boy asks how Antoine's feeling. Antoine missed school the day before. Antoine's parents are pissed. They go to the school and to Antoine's classroom. The teacher sees Antoine's mother; she isn't dead. The teacher feels betrayed. The angry stepfather smacks Antoine in front of his teacher and classmates. Antoine is disgraced, but he'll get more when he goes home. Instead, he runs away. Things don't get any better from this point.
400 Blows is a semi-biographical film written, produced, and directed by Francois Truffaut. The film's not all gloom. There are many funny moments to offset film's serious message. You'll be thinking about this film for a long time.
author of Gotta Be Down!
Summary of The 400 Blows
Francois Truffaut's first feature was this 1959 portrait of Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre L?aud), a boy who turns to petty crime in the face of neglect at home and hard times at a reform school. Somewhat autobiographical for its director, the film helped usher in the heady spirit of the French New Wave, and introduced the Doinel character, who became a fixture in Truffaut's movies over the years. Poignant, exhilarating, and fun (there's a parade of cameo appearances from some of the essential icons and directors from the movement), this film is an important classic. --Tom KeoghThe knowing yet innocent face of Jean-Pierre Leaud, the 14-year-old star of The 400 Blows, is the heartbreaking core of Francois Truffaut's most intimate film. As Antoine Doinel, Leaud begins his career as director Truffaut's alter-ego, a young boy neglected by his mother and stepfather who, to cover his absence at school, tells a lie that leads him to run away from home and end up in reform school. There's nothing remarkable or surprising about the plot; the power of this film comes from how completely it draws you into Antoine's life. Antoine is a vivid, natural presence, one of the most compelling collaborations between a writer/director and an actor. The movie seems to capture him as he lives. Antoine endures his parent's indifference, humiliations at school, deprivation and juvenile delinquency--yet the movie never feels pitying or condescending, as if it were trying to rub your nose in Antoine's suffering. On the contrary: His resilience is what grabs you, his refusal to be broken down as he struggles towards a more adult understanding of the world. Truffaut and Leaud made many excellent films together (Day for Night, Two English Girls), including further chapters in Antoine's life (Bed and Board, Stolen Kisses), but none were quite as simple, rich, and devastatingly potent as The 400 Blows. (The title, incidentally, refers not to abuse or anything sexual, but is a French idiom for a wild and unruly youth or "raising hell.") --Bret Fetzer
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