MOVIECLUB #4 - Due Monday 5/11: The 400 Blows

Finished this last night. I watched the first 40 minutes the other day but then was sleepy and had to go to sleep.

I liked the movie quite a lot. What I thought most interesting is that nothing really happened other than life itself. No explosions, no surprise dramatic events, just this inexorable march toward this boy's future.

The movie takes a very interesting approach to how they show parents. Not one parent in the movie is a good example of a parent. They each have a few positive qualities swirled into their negative qualities. That is a fairly realistic depiction of parents in general. There are these unrealistic standards placed upon people when they become parents. They must suddenly stop being human and that isn't possible. We are all damaged.

The movie also shows that even though we are damaged and alone there is still hope. Life may suck but there are still beautiful moments that make it worthwhile. As long as you have dreams or goals then life isn't meaningless.

I've been looking everywhere for this film and i cant find it. I'm about to give up, sad too because i really wanted to see it.

Tried the Library UDM? You might have some luck there.

NSpan wrote:watched the 400 blows tonight.. it should be remembered that it's the first of five Truffaut films based on the Antoine Doinel character.. personally, i preferred Breathless (by a long shot).. but i'll elaborate a bit later


edit: also watched Godard's Les Carabiniers.. boy, what a mess.. it had some powerful moments in terms of anti-war sentiment.. and the intentionally anachronistic feel of the movie was interesting--though it makes the movie come off more dated than anything.. as usual, the highlights were when the least amount of action was happening on screen.. Michaelangelo at the movie theater was priceless.. but, overall, the movie was a jumble of gobbledy-gook.. not recommended

okay, to say a bit more about The 400 Blows.. the movie left me feeling underwhelmed.. the whole affair screamed PROLOGUE to me.. in fact, just as the movie was "ending," i wondered if i needed to flip the disc over to view the second half of the film.. i can't find any evidence to show that Truffaut actually planned to make a series of films revolving around Antoine Doinel--but the autobiographical nature of the character certainly left the door wiiiiiide open for it.. the movie would actually make more sense to me if i knew that it was intended to be the first installment of a five-part series.. i haven't seen any of the follow-up films, but the general consensus seems to be that the 400 Blows is the "must-watch" installment.. so, is it like watching JUST 1977's Star Wars (which is pretty much self-contained, despite the franchise that came after) without any of the movies that followed? or is it more like watching Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back (where you've seen all the best the series has to offer--but there's still a LOT that needs to be tied up)?


Anyway, the soundtrack was only so-so (and it came off even more pedestrian having just watched Breathless).. The editing wasn't nearly as choppy as Godard's, but the movie's visual style still had a very modern feel to it.. in fact, i'd say Truffaut's editing has fared much better in the long run.. Breathless (and Les Carabiniers) look almost amateurish by today's standards..

Packpal made an interesting point by comparing the stark realism of The 400 Blows to American cinema of the same era:

packpaljs wrote:Just finished The 400 Blows, and Eureka! I really enjoyed it. I found it amazing that this movie was 1959, it almost makes all the American Movies from 1959 fake in some way. This movie was real, with real probelms happening every day in France. Did American attempt such a feat, no they were too busy only making the movies that portrayed America the way it wanted to be seen.

definitely a valid question.. this is something that i found myself wondering when watching 400 Blows.. Truffaut's film is almost hard to watch at times due to its unrelenting (attempt at) realism.. was American cinema of the time all Leave it to Beaver? that's certainly the stereotype.. i could name plenty of gritty american productions of the 50s--but most that come immediately to mind involve themes of war, crime, the "old west".. (though, let's not forget that French New Wave was directly catalyzed by American film.. and, specifically, the works of Orson Welles, John Ford, Howard Hawks, etc).. i'm trying to think of something a bit more domesticated.. i watched Marty (1955) recently and i thought that made some notable jabs at the sugar-coated world of lighter cinema.. maybe someone else can help me fill in the blanks here.. something with Marlon Brando or James Dean maybe?

either way, the impact that followed The 400 Blows is evident throughout the world of film.. some direct homages (thanks to imdb) include scenes from Once Upon a Time in America, Batman (this one was REALLY obvious.. i was worried Antoine's parents were gonna get gunned down outside the theater), Virgin Suicides, Y Tu Mama Tambien, Harry Potter & the Prisoner of Azkaban, and Thirteen.. but just about any film with an uncompromising portrayal of family/school/home life owes a small debt to Truffaut... just try to imagine where Scorsese would be without Truffaut??


again, this movie just didn't really do it for me--too much of it felt like it was leading up to something that never materialized.. maybe that was the point.. i'm sure a second-viewing would be beneficial.. in some ways, i'd compare my viewing of The 400 Blows to that of Eastern Promises.. both times I went into my first screening with certain expectations that simply weren't met.. both films turned out to be much subtler, lower-stakes affairs than i had anticipated.. but i rewatched Eastern Promises and loved it.. perhaps the same will happen with 400 Blows..

to sum it up: truffaut's breakthrough work just wasn't my thing--but i can't neglect its place in film history..


edit:

packpaljs wrote:And the final scene where he's running to the beach.

i thought this scene was really drawn-out.. and, i daresay, both anticlimactic and overly-indulgent considering the film that precedes it.. (btw, check out Nelson's documentary Life Blows Chunks from the Simpsons episode "Any Given Sundance" for a parody of it)

I do enjoy reading your reviews Nspan. You are able to put into words what I can only put into sound effects. Sometimes I disagree (this would be one), but I still enjoy what you had to say.

I didn't see Breathless but you make me want to real bad, but I'm worried that it will tarnish my view of 400 Blows.

I was just told today that I like too many movies where "nothing happens", I just like it when a story natually unfolds and nothing is forced, this I felt was one such story. I also liked that it left you wanting more, I think that should be the task of every movie. This is why I like so many Hitchcock movies, because you get to finish the story. It's not forced or screwed up. This isn't always possible, but they could've put some sweet little sappy ending on this movie, but left it up to us. That's a hard thing to pull off.

Thanks also for pointing out some movies in the 50's that shine truth in America, I wonder if those movies were popular at that time or if only later they were given the proper respect, On the Waterfont, Rebel Without a Cause. I know Marty won Best Picture and I love that movie, but did it win because this wasn't the norm in America? Maybe I'll find a flux compasitor and travel back to the 50's.

I think Marty won Best Picture because it was a simple (but great) movie for a simple time. Also, there are more Martys in the world than Rebels Without Causes. You can relate to it better.

Buscemi wrote:I think Marty won Best Picture because it was a simple (but great) movie for a simple time.

I just had Marty on the mind, I guess. Although, I stand by saying that it is far less sugary-sweet than what people usually think of as 1950s American cinema. And I imagine there'd be plenty of people who would argue that the actual 1950s weren't any "simpler" than things are now

packpaljs wrote:I didn't see Breathless but you make me want to real bad, but I'm worried that it will tarnish my view of 400 Blows.

Go ahead and watch it--I don't think you'll regret it.. If not for the sake of film history and technical aspects (editing, sound, etc.), I don't think many would compare the two movies otherwise.. get your hands on the Criterion edition, if possible

I was just told today that I like too many movies where "nothing happens", I just like it when a story natually unfolds and nothing is forced, this I felt was one such story. I also liked that it left you wanting more, I think that should be the task of every movie. This is why I like so many Hitchcock movies, because you get to finish the story. It's not forced or screwed up. This isn't always possible, but they could've put some sweet little sappy ending on this movie, but left it up to us. That's a hard thing to pull off.

Some of my favorite movies are considered boring as hell by most (Stranger Than Paradise stands out as a good example).. and i love movies that don't have forced resolutions or cliched endings (The Wrestler, anyone?).. So, I'm in your corner on those issues--in general.. i guess those particular aspects of 400 Blows just stood out more because the rest of the movie wasn't really working for me anyway

NSpan wrote:

....the movie left me feeling underwhelmed.. .
again, this movie just didn't really do it for me--too much of it felt like it was leading up to something that never materialized.. maybe that was the point.. i'm sure a second-viewing would be beneficial.. in some ways, i'd compare my viewing of The 400 Blows to that of Eastern Promises.. both times I went into my first screening with certain expectations that simply weren't met.. both films turned out to be much subtler, lower-stakes affairs than i had anticipated.. but i rewatched Eastern Promises and loved it.. perhaps the same will happen with 400 Blows..

to sum it up: truffaut's breakthrough work just wasn't my thing--but i can't neglect its place in film history..

Like pack said you put into words what I can think but can't articulate. Reading this was a relief. After all the positive reviews I thought I was going to be the only one who didn't like it and I was starting to wonder what was wrong with me! I am meant to be a movie lover so why didn't I like 400 Blows?!? {kidding of course}

Well well well, look at that, there's a movie club over here ! And you guys are talking about Truffaut's work !

It's been... well definitely quiiiite a while since I last saw "The 400 Blows". I couldn't really argue about which scenes had great impacts since there's a lot I don't remember. BUt this is one great film. One that remains fascinating to watch I'm sure, and one that had so much influence on modern cinema.

I love some American 50's films just as much as this one, but for different reasons. The movement created by this film, and by Breathless, and by Chabrol's films, those are films vastly different from 50's films from Hollywood, from On the Waterfront and Rebel without a cause. This is a different kind of realism I'd say. Films like 400 Blows and Breathless brought life to cinema by reaching the outside world. By reaching the street, reaching the real people. US films from the 50's , they tried for more realism than in films from the Golden Age, but they did so by focusing on the characters, on the personalities of the actors. They are more static films, litterally, while the French new wave brought a sense of freedom, a sense of perpetual movement. Of unpredictability.

On the topic of gritty realism, I think the pinnacle is (for foreign movies I have seen anyway) The Bicycle Thief. Talk about a no holds barred view of society at the time. Wow, that was a fantastic movie.

I think 400 Blows was good and I did like it but I was only analyzing it in terms of when it was filmed and not in terms of pure cinematic enjoyment. I didn't really like the ending shot of him staring at the camera as I just think it was unnecessary after the beach scene.

400 Blows and The Bicycle thief are two films that my film teacher likes to use when he teaches the History of Film. Unfortunately I won't be able to take the class.