essay

400 BLOWS REVIEW

The movie 400 Blows, written, directed and produced by Francois Truffaut in 1959 is about a rebellious teen Antoine. The film is effective because it tells a true story of the director’s life as a young teen filled to the brim with angst and rebellion. I really enjoyed this movie. Maybe because I felt that I could relate to the main character. I have certainly felt the need to rebel against my parents, but I haven’t gone as far as young Antoine did. I also know that my parents sometimes struggle with what to do with me but they have not gone as far as threatening to disown me! That’s nutty! I think it was a good film because it was just real and down to earth with the viewer. I felt like I was there in Renee’s room being bad along side Antoine, or that I was running for freedom from that terrible center. This movie was oh so effective.
The point of view of this movie is that of young teen and the rebellious antics that he goes through. It’s a lot more relatable when the story is coming from a teen rather than from the parents. Plus it is so much more fun to see him run around and get into trouble. The main theme of this film is rebellion. They use symbolism through out this classic film. I found that the biggest symbol was at the end, that famous running scene. He runs slowly and for a very long time. I think that this is symbolic because with every step he is getting rid of all the bad in his life. He runs for such a long duration because he has so much to get away from and so much that’s coming,
The actors were cast perfectly. The woman who plays the mom does a great job of being cold hearted and distant. She knows how to give the good facials and just look so angry like an angry mom. The dad reminds me of a pretty typical father. He acts a great goofy dad but he also shows his anger and disapproval it makes it feel so real. They also have an actual young rebellious kid play Antoine. The costumes were fantastic. The mom is dressed nicely with good makeup whereas the boys in the family are dressed in utter shambles. Maybe she’s a little self-centered? Hmm. The lighting also plays a huge role in the way we feel during a movie. In the home where he is most unhappy it is an unsettling darkness. But outside where he is free its bright and sunny,
In the movie there are a lot of wide angles and the camera does a lot of panning and following the actors around. Using these techniques helps us the viewer’s feel as if we are actually there and participating. The sound is the same throughout the movie. It is a light tune played with nice instruments probably violins, flutes and maybe a clarinet thrown in the mix. It makes the viewer feel excited/anxious/ happy all at once.
Both ‘Black Boy” and ‘400 blows’ deal with rebellion cause by a poor situation. In Black Boy Richard Is in a more oppressive situation plus it is cultural. Antoine is rebelling because he doesn’t like his parents or their rules. They both run off for completely different reasons. Richard has a plan and ambitions while Antoine’s goal is to make it to water. Way to strive for the best Antoine.
Yes Yes! I would definitely recommend seeing this film. I had never watched a movie in French and this was a great first choice. Its funny and light but at the same time dark and upsetting. The literary aspects that Trtuffaut uses bring the film together as one incredible masterpiece.