The 400 Blows

so simple and great , i think that's the reason why i love french movies

lovely background music.the camera settings very watchable.great acting by Jean.

Such a visionary movie, and also packs a wallop. This feels like a giant step forward--there's a youthful, urgent zest in every shot that propels the film forward and commands attention. I adore Leaud's performance, and his jacket is one of my favorite movie wardrobe choices ever. The location shooting is to die for, and there are so many more things to be said--it's a film I loved returning to.

Boys will be boys, the movie. But seriously this is a fantastic look into a young boy's life. It feels very real. It can go from cheerful to depressing real quick, just like real life. The score is really good here. The cinematography is great. Jean-Pierre Léaud gives a great performance.

Many reviews around talks about this film as a criticism to the French educative system. I could not really see that, as I found the role of the educators here (especially the teacher and the police) correct and normal, as they were trying to savage a boy that otherwise could have ended up on the street due to his behavior. But the portrait of the situation is very well done, at the right length.

Truffaut really gets the visual language of filmmaking, this is a masterclass in blocking and framing. I think there’s about as much information communicated through subtle, visual clues as there is through dialogue. In terms of story I think it might just be one of the best character studies ever made. It provides a detailed portrait of how everyone is a product of their social environment by critiquing authoritarian teaching and parenting styles. It’s aged remarkably well, I didn’t find it to be slow or overacted whatsoever. Flamant’s performance might seem a little cartoonish and big, but it doesn’t feel farfetched for a story that takes place in the 50s. Léaud gives one of the best child performances of all time here, there’s a maturity and depth to his acting that you rarely see from kid actors. Sure, it might not be the easiest thing to watch because of its heavy, sad content matter, but juxtaposed to the score (which is very pleasant to the ears) the film becomes more digestible. It’s certainly easier to watch than _La Haine_ and the other 90s movies that were inspired by coming-of-age films like this. This has some lighter moments by comparison, though it should be noted that even those are often tinged with sadness and melancholy. My only real complaint comes with all the very noticeable audio replacement and ADR being used, which is due to technical limitations and tight budgets given to French New Wave films, but that doesn’t make it less distracting when you’re watching it. Overall, this is an exceptional, timeless film that everyone should watch, please don’t write it off out of fear for it being too old or dusty.

9/10

Often cited in many film critic's Top 10 lists, it has taken me around 400 years or so to get around to watching this movie. Is it a classic? Well... I wasn't blown away by the story, but that's because it's tale of parental disattachment and juvenile delinquency are common themes in many movies today. Back in 1959, however, the themes were probably fresh and daring, so it can be excused on that point. What makes the film truly great is the direction from Truffaut, who captures both location and character eloquently, and the performance from the young lead, which is brilliant, raw and real. Is it on my Top 10 list? No, but i'm glad I finally got around to watching this film, and I will likely return to it again in the future.

Psychiatrist: „Your parents say you're always lying.“
Antoine Doinel: „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.“

I wanted to watch this movie initially because it is considered a French New Wave Classic and has a pretty high rating as well. And I havent watched a lot of french movies yet although I think they have a really unique vibe about them.

Not only was this movie the breakthrough hit for Truffaut, it was also a retelling of real life childhood experiences of the french director. It is also the movie that put Antoines actor on the map, which will eventually make him one of the most influential as well as successful french actors down the line.

After watching „Singin in the rain“ last week, which came out 7 years before this movie, I was surprised to see that this film doesnt have color yet despite „Singin in the rain“ already having color. I guess that is to be expected of more regional production like french.

This movie encapsulates the childhood of the main character antoine, which definitely had a lot of hardships in it. Despite him being a good hearted kid in general, he keeps getting influenced by his friend Rene and others as well as having incredible bad luck which gets him caught in a lot of bad situations.

I have not heard a lot of things about the other movies in this series of movies other than they are a bit lighter than this one was and that they capture the next 20 or so years of Antoines life. Those sequel movies are purely fictional and not based on the directors life anymore.

One scene that stuck with me was when Antoine and his friend played a board game, while behaving like adults, cigar and all. Kids want to be adults while adults want to be kids again. This is so real.

Getting back to the freeze frame ending with Antoine staring at the camera, I guess it might have already teased that more movies were coming continuing this story because the chase sequence at the end of the movie got left unresolved.

Antoines childhood is plagued with sadness. His family is poor, his mom cheats on his dad (which we find out is not even his real dad) and whenever he fucks something up he gets a punishment thats definitely worthy of being called disproportionate retribution. For example he gets caught cheating in an essay at school as well as while stealing a typewriter. For these crimes he instantly gets disowned by his parents as well as being imprisoned.

At the prison he isnt treated like a kid either. He gets his mugshots taken and has to stay in a tiny little cell until his final judgement was decided.

This movie is definitely worth the watch and I will continue to watch this series of Antoines life because I think these might be some of french cinemas best stories, especially coming of age wise.

The original title of the film is Les quatre cents coups.
The film is part of the Antoine Doinel Cycle or The Adventures of Antoine Doinel.
Les quatre cents coup - The 400 Blows (1959) https://trakt.tv/movies/the-400-blows-1959
Antoine et Colette - Antoine and Colette (1962) https://trakt.tv/movies/antoine-and-colette-1962. This film is also a part of L'amour à vingt ans
Baisers volés - Stolen Kisses (1968) https://trakt.tv/movies/stolen-kisses-1968
Domicile conjugal - Bed and Board (1970) https://trakt.tv/movies/bed-and-board-1970
L'amour en fuite - Love on the Run (1979) https://trakt.tv/movies/love-on-the-run-1979

Boyhood depicted blow by blow.