10/09/11
The 400 Blows
Run Time: 99 min , and in Spain: 92 min
Language French
1959
Director: François Truffaut
Won six awards for best Director, Best Foreign Film, and also the Catholic Film Office Award, Mise-en-Scene from the Cannes Film Festival.
In class so far I have learned about montage, and too get a feeling who the movie is for by looking at it from different angles (ex. a feminist, or a child). Montage which is simply many shots put together to tell a story, feeling, or idea in a shorter amount of time. However there is more to montage than just that attribute. From the reading I have understood that different images can be put together to form new meaning, such as Eisenstein's views on ideograms. This film was put together using many montages following the life of young Antoine Doinel. I thought every sequence was done well, the children walking around town just filmed would have been very boring, but Truffaut montaged them together making for a more condensed and interesting viewing. These parts that stood out to me were the puppet show, the theft of the typewriter, and also ending with Antoine running to the beach. The puppet show was important to me for many reasons First it combined The two friends talking about taking a typewriter, a groups of children, and the play which I believe is little red Riding Hood. This scene is based on the ideas of ideograms. The children are a symbol of innocence. The boys conspiring to pursue in theft, is a transformation. I researched the Little Red Riding Hood story, and the part when the North man saves Miss Hood is described as being a rebirth, basically when the man kills the wolf Hood transformers from a person who believes everything to a person who is somewhat more cautious. What the real meaning is, is irrelevant what matters is that the main theme is rebirth. In this scene Antoine goes from being a child to deciding to be a bigger thief, an idea which changes his life in the end. The ending scene was also very well done showing Antoine running. The running shots with the background moving with him was awesome. And when he finally reaches the beach (which he talks about the whole movie) was a big step for him. He reached a new start, his parents don't want him, he is misunderstood by everyone but his friend. And he runs to possible start fresh. Explaining ideas and themes could go on for hundreds of pages, these are just examples to relate the film to what I have understood in class.
The first article I found was by Dennis Turner who wrote Made in the U.S.A.: The American Child in Truffaut's 400 Blows. The Journal article was brilliant. It was a mixture of talking about the film, the director, his views, critics views, and also how his characters relate to those scene in America, or the American Cinema. It starts by discussing the reasons for Truffaut making the film. From what I read the story was based on events of his own life, like his character he was pushed from one place to another. In today's terms his childhood was garbage, and because of this he felt "more at home with children than adults"( Turner, pg 2). The whole film was about French Realism (Turner, pg2). Now every so many pages there are sections were critics talk about the film and they praise its story, and camera work. an example is one that says that "his childhood is alive" (Turner, pg 3). Again the idea of his realism is pushed into our brains again and again. But from pages four to the end the article talks about the ending of the film. The article says that the ending was related to the Balzac book he was reading in class. And that basically the story revolves around the battle between a natural man and society. (Turner, pg 4-6). But the ending was made the way it was for several reasons mainly to show the main character running not away but towards the future. Also It is described that the ending doesn't solve any problems with the character because his freedom is to be shown in later. this only means that 400 Blows is in fact the first of a series of films. With three sequels the characters saga goes on (Turner, pgs 7, 2). The articles main subject is however the American views in the film. Mainly the idea of moving away from society, the article gives historical examples like men moving west, and also film examples of rebel characters in movies like James Dean.
The second article I read was from Roger Ebert. The whole article on his website praises the hell out of the film, and its director for his good storytelling. He goes into depth talking about the misunderstood main character and his hardships after he is labeled a liar by his teacher. The whole review is basically a summary of the main plot with some facts inserted like how Truffaut died in 1984 on a brain tumor. And how some scenes like when Antoine steals a picture outside the theater was actually based of something Truffaut did in real life. The best part of the review is in the beginning when he says one line describing the ending scene saying that the main character at the beach is actually a symbol for being at a point where he is stuck between the past and the future. And I feel that that sums up the movie's ending nicely. (Ebert).
Both Articles do a fine job discussing the main stories plot, and praising the Director for a job well done. But If I have to choose a aspect to talk about based on the film, I want to talk about the ending. At first I thought the ending was dull, but after watching the ending scenes two times I have come to grasp the idea that this movie isn't just a drama but rather has a deeper meaning. A misunderstood boy against the world, running his whole life based on what he told the psychologist and from what we've seen in the film. He runs to escape life in a sense, and what does he reach, a body of water, he's cornered by nature. Roger Ebert describes this scene as the character being stuck at a point between the past and future. And I agree with this statement. The main character is at a major turning point. Behind him is his one friend, the Country which now owns him, and his parents that don't want him. To his future is a body of water probably symbolizing the great unknown, that the future could hold any outcome. And that is where the movie ends. Turner's views are looking at this as a battle between a natural child, and society, and again this is a true and a well backed augment. Throughout the whole film he is always caught, at the wrong time, this happens to many people but with this character his life just snowballs into something he no longer has control over until the ending scene. The battle between him and society comes to a standstill in this films end, and were left wondering what now. Turner also discusses in his article the use of realism. And by watching this film I would never want to live in France. His movie shows the viewer a life filled with betrayal, no trust, greed, and hate. It is true that the world is the same today, but personally I don't like dramas, because of that. But the fact is when you take these characters such as the teacher, and mother who treat this young man like a villain, one must think what if it was me? And for that the French realism is most excellently executed in this film.
In conclusion with the movie, and two articles I have read I have no other opinion than I like this movie. I do not usually like movies like this, I'm usually a ALIEN, or TERMINATOR type of guy. But this movie is good because there is more to the story than we see. The Director's life is a great inspiration for the film, and many scenes are based on his childhood. The movie is a movie made with adult themes, but made with children which to some might be odd, but it is still a good film. When dealing with montage, and the subjects in the book, the film is a masterpiece. The camera work is awesome, filled with different shot that portray a idea, and in its completion a feeling. I do not know if I'm right about the whole puppet show hypothesis stated above but it made a lot of sense to me. My final views are just its a good movie, great story with a deep meaning, and uses many techniques mentioned by Eisenstein in his first three chapters. I really recommend this film because every time you watch it you see something new.
Turner, Dennis. Made in the U.S.A.: The American Child in Truffaut's 400 Blows.
Literature Film Quarterly; 1984, Vol. 12 Issue 2, p75, 11p.
Ebert, Roger. The 400 Blows (1959). http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19990808/REVIEWS08/908080301/1023. Rogerebert.com, 2011.
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