The 400 Blows
Movie: 1959, black and white, 99 minutes
-Director: Francois Truffaut
-Actors: Jean-Pierre Leaud, Claire Maurier, Albert Remy, Guy Decombie
The film the 400 Blows centers on a young boy Antoine Doinel who rebels in order to gain attention from his busy parents who in turn believe him to be a troublemaker.
How does the culture and time period of the film affect why the boy is considered a troublemaker?
The main character Antoine Doinel is growing up in the 1950’s in Paris, France. When one thinks of the 50’s the words cookie cutter and conservative come to mind. Recovering from World War II and beginning the Cold War this was a time of intense paranoia. When one thinks of France most people assume the classic stereotype is about the French that being that they are snobbish strict people. Well this plays an important significance in the film, Doinet’s parents adhere to that common typecast and this is relevant throughout the entire film. His teacher as well is a severe man who does not appreciate ridicule and punishes anyone he assumes involved with a prank during courses. Doinet’s character is often left home alone which procures this independence that may come of later in class as a snooty little boy only out for trouble when in fact he only seeks attention because his parents ignore him. During this time France was not at its best economic state and Doinet’s parents make this most apparent considering the fact that it was not common for women to work and his mother worked a job with long hours and his father struggled as well. This affects Doinet because he doesn’t get to do the things regular kids get to do like go to the movies or to restaurants. All in all the culture and the time period make it very easy for a regular adolescent to slip into troublemaker territory when in fact it’s more of the situation that their in that got them there.
How does Truffaut’s angling of scenes reveal what mood is being set by setting and situation?
Throughout the entire film Truffaut has got these bizarre angles that influence the story. Antoine Doinet lives in this shabby small apartment that Truffaut extenuates perfectly with his camera tucked between bookshelves and in the corners of Antoine’s tiny room. These angles that he chose emphasize at what scale his family is living, how poor they really are and how lonely this boy is in this miniscule apartment. His angles over head by bird’s eye view from the direct ceiling imply this miserable mood around the room, how sad the boy is. You could say that throughout the film these small corridors, the small room he lives in those walls represent his life and as he fails in education and disappoints his parents the walls enclose him little by little and Truffaut expresses this enclosure through his angles.
