400 blows film analysis

The 400 blows is considered a classic in portraying a pained and turbulent male adolescence. The overbearing and often cruel instructor finds it in the hands of antoine doinel, the central figure of the film and several others by truffaut. I may have to break the rules a bit here and consider the entire opening credits sequence rather than the first shot though i think truffaut would approve since he broke many cinematic conventions of his day with. Calling the 400 blows a comingofage story seems somehow inadequate. It basically says again more truthfully that this is the end of this chapter. Although antoine is a troublemaker, both at school and at home, he should not be blamed for all the mistakes he makes. Scene from the 400 blows 1959 or les quatre cents coups. The 400 blows grew out of truffauts frustration with the brief running time of les mistons also on todays program, and although it is undeniably autobiographical, it clearly owes debts to the directors moviegoing addiction. Feb 04, 20 for the first one, i did not provide any kind of analysis, but i feel because of my own growth as a filmmaker i wanted to do one for the 400 blows. His parents have little money and he sleeps on a couch thats been pushed into the kitchen. Miseenscene staging or putting on an action or scene. The 400 blows les quatre cents coups single film study. Antoine doinel jeanpierre leaud is a troubleprone 12yearold paris schoolboy, often left unsupervised while both his mother and his stepfather work at separate jobs. Since there is no cutting, the long take adds a sense of realism, or verisimilitude, to a film an important quality to the new wave filmmakers.

Truffaut uses the character to express his feeling when he was as young as the age of the main character. For the first one, i did not provide any kind of analysis, but i feel because of my own growth as a filmmaker i wanted to do one for the 400 blows. The 400 blows may lack the sheer professionalism and technical polish of many of the films that came before it. Film composition and cinematography the miseenscene really means everything, almost elements of the miseenscene films worth remembering despite the confusion about what exactly constitutes it, we understand the essential elements of the miseenscene as follows. It sets itself up for a sequel, but they werent planning that. A seminal french new wave film that offers an honest, sympathetic, and wholly heartbreaking observation of adolescence without trite. Born today most popular celebs most popular celebs celebrity news. The 400 blows francois truffaut movies the new york times. Truffaut shows his mastery of the cinema in this, his freshman attempt. The 400 blows essays are academic essays for citation. Sep 23, 2007 the 400 blows proved it, and in the best possible way.

Mar 11, 20 francois truffauts 400 blows an analysis truffauts movies are like a lifelong diary and his first feature is one from the heart, notable for its highly autobiographical nature. May 29, 2018 in 1959, truffaut released his feature debut, the 400 blows les quatre cents coups, a semiautobiographic film that blends style with substance, and directorial polish with narrative heart. Its faults are too minor to be included here, and the elements of social criticism. Teaching the 400 blows france, francois truffaut, 1959 enlivens the classroom. Apr 08, 2014 f rancois truffauts first feature, the 400 blows les quatre cents coups, was more than a semiautobiographical film. The 400 blows, a semi autobiographical film, reflects the directors difficult personal life through the main character, antoine doinel. The four hundred blows is the semiautobiographical story of antoine doinel, a boy trapped in a life of contemtptuous authority who turns to outward rebellion. The dvd also offers rare footage shots of some of the young actors in the 400 blows, a french trailer, newsreel footage of leaud at the cannes film festival, an excerpt from a french television show, and a tv interview with truffaut about the 400 blows, where he sensibly admits its not as good as critics say it is. The nouvelle vague is a school of critics who dare each other actually to try their hand at film making. The 400 blows les quatre cents coups 1959 rotten tomatoes. It is one of the supreme examples of cinema in the first. This is a digitized version of an article from the timess print archive, before the start of online publication in 1996. He tends to use the character to exhibit the rebellious stage of an adolescent. The film, shot in dyaliscope, stars jeanpierre leaud, albert remy, and claire maurier.

Francois truffaut, french film critic, director, and producer who was a pioneer in the new wave movement. The manner of antoines education itself comes under. That antoine was also almost aborted probably warrants further analysis when comparing the two films. Seemingly in constant trouble at school, 14yearold antoine doinel returns at the end of every day to a drab, unhappy home life. It is film making to see if one is capable of film making. The seeds of the 400 blows lay in truffauts earlier short film, les mistonsthe mischiefmakers 1957, which had drawn on memories of his own childhood. Even if the 400 blows were more consistently attractive, however, the films unremitting realism prevents it from rising above the ordinary.

The film is perfectly cast with dionel relaying neutral facial expressions for the majority of the film. After being found out and punished for skipping classes, he runs away from. During an argument about which college to attend, lady bird throws herself from a moving car. The 400 blows directed by francois truffaut is an iconic film of the late 1950s that refined french cinema and helped spark a cinematic revolution known as the french new wave. The 400 blows, francois truffauts debut film, is a work around which implicit ironies swirl. A comingofage story is supposed to chart the passage to adulthood, and this story just ends. In the first scenes of francois truffauts les quatre cents coups the 400 blows, 1959, a harassed schoolmaster guy decomble is trying. On the first american prints, subtitler and dubber noelle gilmore gave the film the title wild oats, but the distributor did not like that title and reverted it to the 400 blows, which led some to think the film covered the topic of corporal punishment. Oscars best picture winners best picture winners golden globes emmys san diego comiccon new york comiccon sundance film festival toronto intl film festival awards central festival central all events. Francois truffauts 400 blows an analysis truffauts movies are like a lifelong diary and his first feature is one from the heart, notable for its highly autobiographical nature. It looks as much backwards as it does forwards, to truffauts youthful experiences, and the artworks and ideals he.

Truffauts 400 blows is semiautobiographical in so many ways. Amazingly, this vigorous effort is the first feature film of m. Both of his parents are busy with their own adult lives, and his teachers are harsh and biased. Les quatre cents coups the 400 blows francois truffaut antoine doinel jeanpierre leaud is a yearold boy who keeps getting into trouble at school. From this he began to develop ideas for a screenplay which would use a number of interlocking stories on the subject of childhood baecque and toubiana 2000. Indeed, the title in french, les quatre cents coups, comes from an expression meaning to raise hell. It was no secret that the protagonist character of antoine doinel, as played in total of five films by jeanpierre leaud, grew from truffauts own childhood. The 400 blows opens with a pinup of a nude female circulating among a group of prepubescent boys sitting at their classroom desks. The story goes and im always a little skeptical because i havent read an interview where truffaut said this but the story goes that the person they hired to play that part of the therapist didnt show up that day, and they had to improvise it.

Cinematic techniques in the film the 400 blows the extraordinary film the 400 blows francois truffaut, 1959 skillfully uses cinematic devices appropriately within the context of the theme. I have chosen interrogation scene for my film analysis essay. The 400 blows film analysis truffaut senses of cinema. The end of the 400 blows is a resolution, but its not the one that youre supposed to get from a comingofage story. A classic 1959 french film directed by francois truffaut. Just remember, the analysis is all based on my own understanding of cinema from watching films, and reading a lot of books on cinema. Francois truffauts first feature, the 400 blows les quatre cents coups, was more than a semiautobiographical film. Rather than allowing the moviegoer to submerse himself in the movie as it exists in itself, the director makes a banal, simplistic attempt to fool the viewer, to make him think that he is looking not at.

When i think of great opening shots, my mind quickly goes to francios truffauts 1959 masterpiece, les quatre cents coups aka the 400 blows. Cinematic techniques in the film the 400 blows echeat. In 1959, truffaut released his feature debut, the 400 blows les quatre cents coups, a semiautobiographic film that blends style with substance, and directorial polish with narrative heart. At the end of the 400 blows, antoine escapes from the detention center and runs off to the seashore. The 400 blows, french les quatre cents coups, french film drama, released in 1959, that defined the new wave cinema movement created by young french directors in the late 1950s and 60s. I demand that a film express either the joy of making cinema or the agony of making cinema. One of the defining films of the french new wave, it displays many of the characteristic traits of the movement. A touching story about a young adolescent growing up in paris named antoine doinel, the film artfully captures the unfortunate circumstances of the troubled boys life and his tragic spiral into a life of transgression.

He also teaches film at new york university in the kanbar institute of film and television. Its faults are too minor to be included here, and the elements of. What the viewer chooses to take from it is open to interpretation. The 400 blows les quatre cents coups, 1959 posted on november 20, 2009 by ferdy. Miseenscene setting hairstyle makeup costumes props decor lighting acting 5. The 400 blows is commonly regarded as a landmark of the french new wave. The extraordinary film the 400 blows francois truffaut, 1959 skillfully uses cinematic devices appropriately within the context of the theme. Close to home the current the criterion collection. Part of the underlying theme of this movie as explained by truffaut himself is. Feb 14, 2017 film analysis the 400 blows francois truffaut 1959 2142017 0 comments i found the film depressing after my first view. The film looks superb and antoines heartbreakingly open face is like truffauts.

A seminal french new wave film that offers an honest, sympathetic, and. Jun 12, 2014 the extraordinary film the 400 blows francois truffaut, 1959 skillfully uses cinematic devices appropriately within the context of the theme. Roland barthes claims that a photograph animates me, and i animate it this is what creates every adventure, and this film especially brings such reciprocity to mind within the context of teaching film. Francois truffauts the 400 blows 1959 is one of the most intensely touching stories ever made about a young adolescent. Film analysis of fran ois truffauts the 400 blows bartleby. The 400 blows les quatre cents coups francois truffaut. This film analysis will delineate the diverse directorial decisions of the french new wave cinema movement, and how they have been utilised and developed to challenge and subvert the typical hollywood filmmaking conventions and techniques of the 1950s and 60s hollywood cinema, in francois truffauts the 400 blows 1959.

His other notable films included jules et jim and day for night. Interesting, difficult, and very much real underlying tones set the mood for the movie and send an uncomfortable feeling to. Francois truffauts 400 blows an analysis truffauts movies are like a. To preserve these articles as they originally appeared, the times does. In juxtaposition to the jump cut, french new wave directors also employed the extensive long take, with many running several minutes.

Les quatre cents coups is a 1959 french new wave drama film, and the directorial debut of francois truffaut. The 400 blows remains truffauts seminal film, yet he continued to reinvigorate cinema throughout the sixties, with such thrilling works as shoot the piano player and jules and jim. The 400 blows is a 1959 french new wave drama film, and the directorial debut of francois. Im sure truffaut didnt plan to make sequels when he made the 400 blows. The film thus evokes a sense of frustration rather than pity. It is clear that lady bird and her mothers interactions are strained from the opening minutes of the film. The 400 blows les quatre cents coups, 1959 ferdy on films. Analysis of francois truffauts the 400 blows 784 words. The huge success of the film established truffaut as one of the leaders of french cinema.

Apr 30, 2015 many historical factors had impacts on the filmmaking techniques regarding style, narrative, structures of production, crew, storyline, audience etc. Why is the therapist scene in 400 blows 1959 so iconic professor julian cornell. Truffaut then became an auteur himself, starting with the 400 blows, which won him the best director award at cannes and led the french newwave charge. Deserved truffaut classic benefits significantly from criterions new dvd package. It is filmmaking to see if one is capable of filmmaking. The film looks superb and antoines heartbreakingly open face is like truffauts monochrome paris. The nouvelle vague is a school of critics who dare each other actually to try their hand at filmmaking.

Apr 09, 2009 the film looks superb and antoines heartbreakingly open face is like truffauts monochrome paris. However, the film also reinforces the crushing confines of childhood, represented by the familys claustrophobic apartment and the schools barren classroom, both of which anticipate the cell antoine ends up in. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of the 400 blows directed by francois truffaut. The release of a new edition of the film on janus films essential art house series, however, reminds us that the 400 blows is more than an example of a cinematic style. The 400 blows marks the birth of legendary nouvelle vague character antoine doinel. It was the first film in francois truffauts acclaimed antoine doinel series, which followed a character. The film was so fluid, so graceful, so apparently natural, that it seemed not to have any agenda at all. It was followed by four more films recounting the life of antoine doinel over the next 20 years, all starring jeanpierre leaud, collectively referred to as the adventures of antoine doinel.