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The
400 Blows is Francois Truffaut`s very first film, produced
in 1959. He was also the director of Jules and Jim, an equally
famous film which strangely didn`t affect me as much as I
had hoped. The 400 Blows, however, is a true classic, simple
yet perceptive, and even-handed in its depiction of the burdens
of its main character, Antoine Doniel.
Antoine
is a thirteen year old student in a French boys school, and
he is looked upon as a problem student and a troublemaker.
From writing derisive graffiti on the class wall, to plagiarising
Balzac, he is the source of constant frustration for his teacher,
and also his parents, who clearly do not give him the attention
and love needed for a child his age. He is the sort of child
I natuarally cannot respect a great deal, since he is the
sort, abiet in more innocent, less vicious fashion, who rebels
and acts out for the mere sake of it, rather than making a
point. Even people who could treat him well would not see
anything noble in his actions. He does a lot of things to
try to gain sympathy, but they are the wrong things. This
includes a rather bold moment where, after having skipped
a day of school for some fun, he actually tells his teacher
that his mother had died. What is even more surprising is
that the teacher, a mean, stern, individual, actually appears
to believe him and take pity. These scenes are dark-humored;
it is clear that few people aren`t very nice to him, but at
the same time, it is almost funny to see this kid try to get
away with so many outrageous things. It helps that the actor,
Jean-Pierre Leaud, looks completly like a smart-alecky kid,
and feels so comfortable inside his character.
Buy The 400 Blows on DVD (US)
It
is not until the second half when the film reveals its powerful,
sorrowful tone. Antoine, along with a friend, steal a typewriter
from his father`s workplace. Unable to sell it, Antoine dares
to sneak back in and put the typewriter back in its proper
place. But he is caught this time, and the result is that
the authorities, with the unfortunate acceptance of his parents,
make him go to a juvenile delinquent hall, and, when that
fails, a labour camp. Watching this, I got the feeling these
places aren`t designed to help problem kids, but rather are
dumping grounds for the unwanted. Listen to the testimonials
of the other inhabitants: you can perceive that these kids
are relatively harmless, and are basically reacting to an
unfair world. The unfair world is annoyed by these invasions
into their selfish lives, and that world has the power to
brush them aside. While I certainly don`t have any real respect
for Antoine`s doings, and there is nothing romantic or satisfying
in this so-called teenage rebellion, the ultimate fate of
this kid is nothing to be proud of. And that is the power
of the film, for we are able to be sympathetic to him, even
after knowing he is a brat. You will have no choice but to
feel sorry for him, especially when you see the sorry cases
surrounding him.
The
teacher who supervises his class is a nervous, cruel, and
unsympathetic individual. Either this man should be fired
or take a voluntary leave of absence for his completely shot
nerves. He treats the students like prisoners, as he throws
chalk about the room demanding to know who whistled in class,
as he tells Antoine to wipe off the graffiti properly or else
will be forced to lick it off, and, finally, tells the class
"I`ve known idiots, but at least they were discreet." and
bemoans the sorry state of France.
His
parents are seen as incredibly selfish. Antoine hears many
arguments at night from the parents, mainly on how Antoine
gets on the mother's nerves. This isn`t a reasoned argument,
but rather words from people who sound as if they are truly
burdened with a child, so much so that they`d be much happier
if it was rid of. The mother, with her furious, almost guttural,
voice, is the worst of the pair, and it's no surprise when
you discover she also conducts a bit of extramarital affairs,
and actually tells Antoine how useless school is. This might
actually give a psychological reason for saying to his teacher
that day that his mother had died. Deep down, he resents her.
And
his situation in the deliquent school is probably even more
horrifying. A couple of moments are difficult to forget, especially
a shocking moment where Antoine is slapped for being a bit
too eager to eat his dinner. The way this scene is played
out is even more surprising, especially for a person living
in this decade, where such things would naturally be considered
child abuse. Here, however, it appears society thought it
was the best thing to do for unruly kids.
And
the final image of this film is brilliant and sad, as Antoine
hopes dearly for something better than the world he has been
thrown into, and realizes that hope is all that it is going
to be. It is a fitting finale to a dramatic film. In fact,
the film itself is so complete that it`s very strange to know
that Truffaut made four sequels to this film, which, from
what I heard, seem to be more on the romantic comedy/drama
side. But it makes no difference if you ever decide to see
them, for The 400 Blows will still stand as one of cinema`s
great moments.
David
Macdonald
David
Macdonald's Movie Reviews
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