Rating: 
Summary: It doesn't blow.
Review: This masterpiece is Truffaut's first feature film, yes. The first New Wave film? Hold your horses there, sonny. You may want to define what you mean by "New Wave". As a couple of other brilliant reviewers below me have indicated, *The 400 Blows* does look rather like "refried Neo-Realism", and the movie is indeed classically constructed. Much more conventional than the exactly contemporaneous movies by Resnais and Godard, *Hiroshima, Mon Amour* and *Breathless*, respectively. Those movies REALLY "broke all the rules", linear narrative especially. But if you mean by "New Wave" an uncompromising, unflinching attempt to simply tell the truth, if you mean the true artist's concern to dispense with cliches and find his own voice, if you mean a feeling of liberation in a movie in which it seems anything can happen next, then *The 400 Blows* fits your bill. At any rate . . . what Americans will never get about this movie is how much it meant to France. Indeed, "Antoine Doniel", the adolescent hero, emerged as a sort of NATIONAL hero, a French Everyman who the French never tired of: Truffaut made 4 more films with Jean-Pierre Leaud in the role of Doniel. (Believe me, we Americans should feel no need to be as tolerant of Doniel's continuing adventures, which degenerate into sit-com buffonery.) The movie's at its best showing Doniel's adventurous truancy in and around a most unromantic Paris: the opening credits use a moving camera to show the Eiffel Tower trying to peep out above row upon row of ugly warehouses and tenements (Paris wouldn't look so ugly again until Godard's *Alphaville*). It's a tough town for a kid -- but no more tough than his home-life, with his alternately hateful and bribing and flirtatious mother, and his utterly undistinguished, stupid stepfather. It's no tougher than the school, either: Truffaut makes a good case for truancy being more affirmative than attending French public schools. (The teacher is a meanie straight out of Dickens.) The last sequences in which Doniel has been unceremoniously dumped into reform school might be accused of being heavy-handed, but Truffaut makes his points quickly with these scenes -- they by no means turn the film into grim melodrama. All in all, this director must be recognized as being one of the very few artists -- in ANY medium -- who gave a damn about children, and who intelligently told their stories. His *The Wild Child* in particular, made a decade later, seems almost perfect to me, even superior to this movie. [The DVD by Fox-Lorber is pretty good . . . for them. I'm sure the Criterion edition looks better, but it's now out of print, and I'm sure it's not SO MUCH better that it's worth forking out an extra Jackson (or two) for it. I do wish the picture on this Fox-Lorber edition was less dark. The features included a commentary track that probably isn't necessary, talent bios, and a whole slew of Truffaut trailers.]
Rating:
Summary: Captivating film of a tragic childhood
Review: New wave, old wave, medium wave, who cares! This is just a great film about a tragic childhood. Truffaut has a tremedous capability to elicit wonderful, natural performances from child actors. For another example, see his more light hearted film "Small Change". In "400 Blows" we see a depiction of the descent of a young boy from the innocence of childhood to juvenile delinquency, from freedom to incarceration. It is filmed in a deceptively simple manner that touches one's heart. If I could recommend another, even more profound tragedy, it would be Robert Bresson's "L'Argent" which shows how a life can be devastated by one small crime.The DVD quality seems fair at best and would have benefited from a better, restored print. The 5 stars, though, is for the film and not the DVD quality which probably rates only 3 stars.
Rating: 
Summary: Not a very good movie.
Review: I don't mind slow movies, but this movie is slow + boring and 100% predictable. In my opinion, it's terrible.
Rating: 
Summary: Truffaut's Masterpiece
Review: "400 Blows" was Francois Truffaut's debut film, and it remains in my opinion, his best film. That right there is saying a lot considering this is the same man who directed films like, "The Last Metro", "Love on the Run","The Wild Child", & "The Soft Skin". 1959 was a year when America became exposed to the "French new wave" when such directors like Jean-Luc Godard, Claude Chabrol, and Jacques Rivette were dazzling audiences with their views on love and life and there "new style" of filmmaking that has influenced many American filmmmakers like Martin Scorsese and Woody Allen.
Truffaut's semi-autobiography, is one of those rare films that can make of laugh and cry. Truffaut examines issuses that we can all relate to. There's that human dramatic element needed to make a great drama what it is.
"400 Blows" was the first film in the "Antoine Doinel" series, which included films like "Stolen Kisses","Bed & Board" and "Love on the Run". It was also the first film for it's star, Jean-Pierre Leaud. Who even as a child seemed to show amazing acting skills.
But, what do we all really love about this film? I guess it's that we can all connect with it's lead character. We can all think back to when we were younger and perhaps felt exactly the same way Antoine does in this film. This is one of those movies that puts our own feelings on screen and confront issusses we normally shy away from dealing with.
"400 Blows" was the first film I ever saw by Truffaut and as time has gone on, he is now one of my all time favorite directors. I think if anyone wants to start a collection of Truffaut films this is the place to start. A true masterpiece.
Rating:
Summary: A rather delightful drama for young and old alike
Review: I just saw Francois Truffaut's 400 Blows again, and this indeed is the epitomy of the New Wave by making a story which can be seen like a French neo-realist reaction, and being as such it gets its chance to shine in the hands of the debut Truffaut. It's a lovely, wonderful cinema experience. In a partially autobiographical tale, Truffaut's protagonist is Antoine Doinel, a pre-teen-ish youth who can be identified with by most who are at or older than his age viewing his tale- he hates school, goes to the movies as escape, and has parents who tend to be over-bearing and un-attentive. After a string of events occur (one of which getting thrown out of his school) he tries to live on his own, which proves un-successful in a caught theft, which gets him into an "observatory for delinquent youth", or juvenile prison. One of the truly fascinating qualities of the film is that it all goes along in a totally naturastic manner, or at least natural for the characters presented, and there aren't any over-stylings to go along with the drama. The stylings that are apparent give the film a perfect balance: the spellbinding scene on the carnival-twister, the un-broken shot of the boy running down the road, and shots that add emotional weight merely by the time allowed on the object. And this is all worthy of a younger audience as well; even those who don't watch foreign movies could consider this their must-view as an introduction to the genre.
Rating:
Summary: 400 Blows
Review: I've spent decades avoiding THE 400 BLOWS, afraid it was either dark and brooding, or a documentation of child abuse (physical and/or emotional), or an angry and vindictive assault on the authors' of Francois Truffaut's traumatic childhood.
I shouldn't have worried. THE 400 BLOWS is a gentle and compassionate movie. It isn't overwhelmed by its anger, although a few characters, particularly the coming-of-age hero's mother and his school teacher, aren't terribly sympathetic. Being new to THE 400 BLOWS, I found the commentary by Premiere magazine film critic Glen Kenny especially helpful in understanding French New Wave cinema in general and Truffaut in particular. By the way, according to Kenny "400 blows" refers to a French colloquialism similar to the American "paint the town red." It means to give oneself over to every type of excess, and raise a little heck in the process.
Rating:
Summary: A classic, heartfelt coming of age story
Review: In Francois Truffaut's debut, award winning film, he paints visually the pain and joy of childhood, through a semi-autobiographical account of a 13 year old boy living in France. Antoine, lives with his mother and father in an apartment, on minimum finance. He gets into trouble at school, time after time, and at home his parents punish him, but at heart, he is a good kid. He decides to run away, but his parents find him, and they begin to treat him nicer. But when he gets suspended from school, he runs away for good. He begins stealing, and he gets caught. After he stays at a special home for juvenile delinquents, he escapes and his spirit prevails. This story is very moving, and entertaining. You get pulled into the young boy's life, and can relate with him. After you see how he keeps hope and prevails, it creates a warm feeling, and inspires you. The direction is perfect, and the director won the Best Director at Cannes Film Festival. I highly recommend those who wish to watch a fun, entertaining tale of hope and faith in the face of seemingly endless problems. 5 stars.
Rating:
Summary: Classic film about childhood
Review: Anyone interested in Francois Truffaut or the French New Wave could scarcely do better than to start here. Unlike some other classic films, one doesn't need to be a film buff to enjoy this. One only has to like good films. Jean-Pierre Leaud is terrific as Antoine Doinel, a lonely Parisian boy who lives with his neglectful mother and flaky step-father. At school, Doinel has become a target of wrath for his sadistic English teacher. Doinel begins to hang out more and more with his deliquent friend. Together, they skip school, go to the amusement park, and watch films (the young Truffaut was an avid movie watcher). Truffaut's Paris is certainly not a friendly place for children. Parents are neglectful and teachers are more interested in bringing students into line than in teaching. Indeed Doinel's English teacher seems to believe in harsh punishments over the most minor offense. The more the world tries to bring Doinel into line, the more he is compelled to rebel. Finally, Doinel steals a typewriter to be pawned to pay for his escape from home. Having a change of conscience, he tries to returns it, but is caught and sent to a home for juvenile delinquents. Truffaut directs this semi-autobiographaphical film with great feeling, showing us the humor, triumph, and most of all sadness of his tragic childhood. The widescreen black & white photography of Paris is beautiful so be sure to see this letterboxed.
Rating:
Summary: The quintessential film of the New Wave
Review: Since the first images you stan by literally caught by the huge poetry who emerges. The sad opening theme with a cloudy Paris as frame gives us a striking clue about the film explores.
With the amazing exception of Forbidden games (Rene Clement) never before a movie had drown in the child's universe like these two films.
Truffaut is far from making a statement. His camera simply spies the emotive familiar nucleus of this nice guy and the terrible troubles generated by his own parents.
We laugh, and cry with the disventures and irreverent madness made outschool. The portrait of Balzac burning is a high point in the picture. It's a long journey in the world of this child that well might be you and me if...
The plot is very organilcal, and the final sequence is brethtaking.
Hopeless and a sense of desperation seems surrounding us when you watch by the last time to our youn boy.
Forget about all the films that followed to this one in the New Wave, like Breathless, les cousins, or Jules and Jim of Truffaut also.
This is the gem of the New Wave cinema.
In memory of the great Andre Bazin, the creator of the Cahiers du cinema.
A must for everyone.
Rating:
Summary: Another great Criterion release
Review: This is a review for the Criterion Collection version. This is a great film and Truffaut based it loosely on his childhood. It's populatity also spawned numerous sequels. The film follows Antoine Doniel, a boy about 12 years old as he gets into trouble at school, with his parents and the law. The acting is good and The restoration of the film quality is also quite good and the acting is also very good. This edition remains out of print but was reissued in the "Adventures of Antione Doniel" box set.
|
