400 Blows Essay

The 400 Blows
“Oh I lie now and then, I suppose. Sometimes I’d tell them the truth and they still wouldn’t believe me, so I prefer to lie” states Antoine Doinel in the film The 400 Blows. I think that The 400 Blows did an effective job conveying the emotions François Truffant experienced that inspired his devotion to cinema. The film communicated well the bustling world of Paris in the 1930s/40s through a young boy’s eyes, focusing on the parts of life that would matter to a young schoolboy like Antoine, such as school, friends, and relationships with parents. I also personally enjoyed the unabashedness of the film in exposing some of Antoine’s fasults. Although this film is based on his own life, Truffant does not seek to hide the irrationality in some of Antoine’s decisions, such as stealing his father’s typewriter and running away from home. In addition to the narrative aspect of the film, other literary, dramatic, and cinematic aspects were utilized to make The 400 Blows an effective film.
The literary aspects of The 400 Blows add greatly to its efficacy as a film. The integral part of the movie is its plot, a literary aspect. This film follows young Antoine as he stumbles from misadventure to misadventure, trying to find his fit in life with his family and his schoolwork. This struggle to fit in is a rather universal one, so the plot helps The 400 Blows relate to everyone. Another literary aspect, the place, is firmly established in the opening credits as Paris, and although the time period is not directly specified, it is supposed that it is around the time of the 1930s/40s. Antoine is the main character in this film, and his story mirrors the childhood of François Truffant. He is a mischievous kid who, although not bad-charactered, always seems to be getting in trouble. His parents do not seem to have a deep sense of care for Antoine’s well being, although he seems to try his best to earn their love, obeying their demands, setting the table. However, Antoine does what it takes to survive and prosper in his small world of school and friends, even if it means stealing from his parents. Antoine explores themes such as the frustration of being trapped. This is exemplified through the shot of him on the ride where he is trapped against the wall, unable to move, as well as whenever his position as the lowest member of his family is demonstrated, for he cannot escape or rise above it. Another literary device, symbols, is utilized in The 400 Blows. The ocean seems to become a symbol for Antoine himself as the freedom and luxury that he was never able to attain in his family, and it becomes a goal for him towards the end of the movie. Additionally, during his first time running away from home, Antoine steals a bottle of milk from the street, which could symbolize his need for a mother (the milk) and his willingness to bend the rules (stealing) to gain it. Overall, a significant part of the film The 400 Blows’ effectiveness can be attributed to its literary aspects.
Another aspect to film is its dramatic qualities. In The 400 Blows especially, specific actors and actresses add a huge impact to the film’s effectiveness. Antoine is played by Jean-Pierre Léaud who, with his scruffy hair and down turned mouth that is quick to smile, clearly shows both sides of Antoine’s personality. Antoine’s mother (Claire Maurier) uses her narrow eyes, big lips, and blonde hair to exemplify Gilberte Doinel’s outer beauty and inner horridness. She also uses mannerisms such as often looking into a mirror to show Madame Doinel’s self-centeredness. Personally, I think that Patrick Auffay does an excellent job playing René. His blond, neatly-combed hair shows his class, and his smaller size and softer voice show his subordination to Antoine in their friendship. He displays perfectly René’s inner calm when removing money from a family hiding place, even when he is almost caught by his mother, as well as when he is forbidden to see Antoine in the Observation Center. He simply gets on his bike, turns around and starts home in the most fitting way. The costumes in The 400 Blows also add to our understanding of the characters. Antoine is constantly dressed in dark colors, reflecting the more negative aspect of his personality and his parents frugality regarding his state of wellness. His mother, on the other hand, always is wearing rather luxurious clothing such as her fur coat. René shows his class in the dapper little suits that are his attire through the movie. The set also contributes to the overall feel of the film: Antoine’s rooms in his apartment show his station in his family completely. Both the garbage room and his own bedroom are dark, small, and dirty; of course they are only for Antoine. Dramatic aspects definitely add to the effectiveness of the film The 400 Blows.
Finally, cinematography is a feature of The 400 Blows that augments its effectiveness. My favorite part of the film was the beautiful shots of Paris that were interspersed throughout the film. This gave a definite sense of setting, not only in the sense of the place but also of the time period. A variety of shots add to these montages. Many were shot at night, such as the ones where Antoine is wandering the streets of Paris, or when he is carted in a police coach to the juvenile detention center, so that the bright lights of Paris shine out from the darkness. The high angle shot of the gym teacher running as the boys disappear helped accentuate his bright white shorts against the dark tones of the Paris sidewalk and show truly the ridiculousness of Antoine’s entire school. Another shot that stands out is directly follows the theft of the typewriter by Antoine and René. As they weave through crowds, the camera does not directly focus on them, instead showing their rush as well as the people of Paris going about their business around the two. Perhaps this is to show that Antoine and René are not alone in this issue: that everyone has had their part in some crime (strangely, no one stops or tries to report them). Regarding another cinematic aspect, the same music makes its way throughout the entire film, providing some continuity as well as accentuating the negative or positive mood, as the difference between the minor/major sound stands out particularly in the recognizable tune. However, perhaps the boldest cinematic element that is included in The 400 Blows is Truffant’s decision to film it in black and white. I think that this choice adds to the mood of the film, putting the viewer in the place of Truffant as he watched the black and white movies during the era in which he was growing up. All of these elements strictly of cinema add to The 400 Blows effectiveness as a film.
Although different mediums, both The 400 Blows and Richard Wright’s Black Boy share many of the same themes and literary ideas that make them both effective works. Both pieces are memoirs and in them, the two main characters, Antoine and Richard, have many similar experiences that they have to cope with. Both protagonists are forced to cope with negligent/harsh parents and therefore learn to be independent from them. Both are willing to do whatever it takes to achieve their goals, whether it is stealing from the movie theater in Richard’s case or lying to his stepfather about the Michelin guide in Antoine’s case. Both find comfort and transport themselves outside of their own lives in a form of art, literature and film for Richard and Antoine respectively. One of their most important similarities is their ability to support themselves independently: Richard moves into Memphis by himself and Antoine, while not old enough to support himself financially, has the emotional independence to have no qualms about running away from home. Finally, both Richard and Antoine set goals for themselves that act as a purpose for them even when life becomes complicated. For Richard, his dream is to become a writer, and although it causes him to sacrifice a comfortable existence many times, he is ultimately successful in writing Black Boy. For Antoine, his goal is to see the ocean. This becomes a focus for him, and he too is successful in this venture after escaping from the detention center. Both The 400 Blows and Black Boy use the similar experiences of their creators to relate to the audience, and do a very effective job.
Personally, I enjoyed watching The 400 Blows. I thought that it provided such a unique perspective of Paris: to truly see it through a Parisian’s eyes was amazing. The views of Paris were so beautiful. I also think that the film did a good job of balancing the artistic and narrative aspects of the movie. Many films get bogged down in their artistic whims whereas The 400 Blows had a moving story line that the artistic elements simply added to. Additionally, although the movie itself was a rather serious subject matter (the circumstances that would push a child to remove himself completely from his parents at the age of eleven or twelve) moments of humor kept the film from feeling overly depressing, such as Antoine’s various mishaps. The 400 Blows also utilized all of the aspects of its medium of film, literary, dramatic, and cinematic, to great effect. The characters, especially Antoine, were easy to relate to because of the universal theme of growing up and becoming independent. The actors themselves helped us understand the characters better with their mannerisms and expressions that were so appropriate. Cinematic elements such as the black and white filming style helped set the mood for the entire film. Because of my enjoyment of the film, I would definitely recommend The 400 Blows.