The 400 Blows Essay

The 400 Blows is a thought provoking emotional movie that I greatly enjoyed. I found the movie effective in communicating themes and ideas. Antoine can’t control his life the way he wants, so he finds his own path, rebelling against authority and expectations. The strong visuals found in the film such as the children in cages at The Observation Center, Antoine’s time in jail, and his life at home make it easy to understand what Antoine is going through. Antoine is compelled to run from his experiences. As Antoine develops, we viewers, are able to grow in understanding with him.

The 400 Blows is similar to books in that it contains many literary aspects. The characters are fairly one dimensional, almost stereotypical, and therefore it is easy to understand their motives. The protagonist, Antoine Doinel, is a rebellious young boy who wants to find his own way in life without a formal education. His mother, Gilberte Doinel, is an uncaring manipulative woman who uses what she has, appearance, to get what she wants, wealth and status. She ignores Antoine on a regular basis, but when she is aware of him, she’s yelling at him. Gilberte has expensive clothes and jewelry while her family runs around in rags. It’s quite possible the man she’s having an affair with is providing her wealth. Her husband, Julian, is maybe aware of his wife’s promiscuity, but he is a humorous man who wants a happy family. He remains ignorant to his wife’s actions to stay blissful. Antoine’s French teacher is the quintessential tyrannical teacher. He constantly yells at his pupils and embarrasses them at every chance he gets. These characters are intertwined in Antoine’s memoir that takes place in Paris. Because the film is a memoir, it is told from Antoine’s point of view; Antoine is the focus of every scene. The movie also shares some common themes often seen in literature. The themes of adult’s authority over children, unfair punishment, and bad upbringing are all featured in this film. Antoine is infuriated at the way he is treated by adults. Both his parents and teacher seem to know what is best for him, when he obviously has plans of his own. At The Observation Center, small children of about four years of age are shown being locked in a cage. Adults put them there to keep them in place and out of the way. No four year old is developed enough to reek enough havoc to be placed in a juvenile center, but adults feel they need power over their children and put them there in order to control them. Antoine is unfairly punished for running away and stealing his father’s typewriter. He is sent to a juvenile correction facility, The Observation Center, where he is analyzed by a psychologist when he is perfectly mentally healthy. He doesn’t deserve this punishment because his parents don’t do a good job taking care of him or guiding him. They yelled at Antoine causing him to run away. When he finally runs away from The Observation Center, he runs to the sea. The sea symbolizes freedom to Antoine. He had never seen the sea because he was always in Paris. When he is rid of authority, he is free to see and do what he chooses. Literary aspects give structure and depth to a story whether the story is told through film or word.

Not only are literary aspects well utilized, but dramatic aspects heighten the emotion helping to tell the story. The actors are well cast and effectively convey emotions. Jean- Pierre Léaud, the actor who plays Antoine, goes through life with a dazed, spacey look in his eyes. He tunes out the things he dislikes to obviate sadness and anger. He does as he’s told without complaint because he isn’t always mentally aware of his surroundings. The actor seems to go into an imaginary world whenever Antoine is uncomfortable around his authority figures. Gilberte is played by Claire Maurier. She has an aloof manner about her and tries to act sophisticated to overcome her homely, poor life. When Gilberte attempts to win Antoine over by being nice to him, the actress has a superficial quality in her niceness as Gilberte should. Julian is also well acted by Albert Rémy in The 400 Blows. In acting as Antoine’s friend, he seems genuinely nice to him at the beginning of the film, but by the end of their relationship, Albert effectively conveys that he was only nice to prevent any unhappiness in their family. Julian can’t deal with Antoine’s misbehaving, so he quickly agrees to sign over parentalship of Antoine to the government. The actor shows no remorse in this ordeal and seems to forget about Antoine immediately after the incident. Lighting is a very dramatic aspect used in the movie. It conveys Antoine’s emotions during the scene. When he is in the classroom or inside his desolate home, the lights are dark and dreary, but when he is outside and free, the lighting becomes light and cheerful. When Antoine is being carted away in the jail car, the lighting inside the car is dark, but outside, where Antoine wishes he could be, it is light although it is night time. Casting and acting are important in drawing the viewer in, and lighting creates emotional drama.

Cinematic aspects are important element used in the film. The camera angle is used to create a feeling of unity between Antoine and the viewer. The opening credits are filmed as if the viewer is traveling through the streets of Paris. Already by the beginning, the viewer can see Antoine’s daily views and better understand his city. Another example of this technique is when Antoine is being taken to The Observatory Center; he looks out the barred window of the car. The camera angle then shoots as if the viewer is Antoine, gazing out into the world he longs to be a part of once again. The camera angle can also be used to let the audience observe the big picture and appreciate situational humor. During gym, the boys run behind the teacher on a jog through Paris’s streets. The high angle of the camera shows the entire scene clearly. The students ditch the class by running into alleys or hiding behind parked cars. Eventually, only a few members of the gym class are left to run with the teacher. Without a birds eye view, the humor of the story would be lost. The duration of shots also impacts the film. Right before the final scene, Antoine is running from the juvenile center towards the sea. This shot focuses on him running for a long period of time. This lengthy duration represents Antoine’s struggle to become free. He runs for so long because he has so much from which to run away. He has attempted to be rid of his former life for so long, and this scene is the final stretch of Antoine’s efforts. Music can be a powerful tool to describe emotion. A single melody is used in all of the movie’s background music. The song played when Antoine is outside, happy, and free from the people and places he so much disliked. The music stops once Antoine returns to his dazed and spacey mood, magnifying his internal isolation. Cinematography can be very complex and helps paint a more vivid picture for the viewer.

The 400 Blows shares many characteristics with the novel Black Boy. Particularly, the storylines and characters have many similarities. Both Antoine and Richard experience a poor upbringing. They traveled from place to place without a permanent home during their first years of life. Antoine went from a wet nurse to his grandparents to his real parents. Richard travels from family member to family member in search of a refuge from his lack of money and fear of the white man. Both boys enjoy reading and writing as an escape from their horrible lives. Antoine enjoys reading Balzac and even creates a shrine to his favorite author. Richard reads and also writes for a local newspaper. Eventually, both of the boys’ families give up on them. Their families don’t believe they will amount to much. Antoine’s parents send him to a juvenile delinquent center to cure his misbehavior and make a useful person of him. Richard’s family stops attempting to make him turn to religion as a haven from his terrible, misguided life. Because the two boys don’t like the life they’re living, they escape to freedom. Antoine runs away from his parents in Paris and then the juvenile center, and Richard goes to the North where he believes life is better for a black man. The stories aren’t alike in every aspect however. The characters both handle authority differently. Antoine quietly takes orders and punishment while Richard lashes out with violence to avoid what he believes to be unjust discipline. Antoine has a good friend throughout his childhood, René. René even tries to visit Antoine while he’s in The Observation Center. Richard is basically alone in life. He never gains close friends, only enemies. He does however have a caring mother who wants the best for her son. He brings her to the North with him. Antoine has a despicable mother of whom he wishes to be rid. As coming of age memoirs, the stories offer many more similarities than differences despite being told in different media.

I believe most people would enjoy watching The 400 Blows. The film is a memoir of Antoine Doinel’s childhood and his struggles to become free from authority. He runs away from home to escape his parents’ misunderstanding behaviors, quits school, and tries to live independently with his best friend René. He steals his father’s typewriter in an attempt to finance his escape from Paris. The plan goes awry and he is sent to a juvenile correction facility, The Observation Center. Antoine eventually escapes from the center and runs to the sea, his ultimate freedom. This film has meaning and depth unlike many films today created only for entertainment. The themes of the film help the viewer understand Antoine’s struggle and envision his problems during his childhood. The film also shows how life was during the 1940’s in Paris. The differences between Antoine’s childhood and today’s world are easily spotted, and make the viewer think about their privileged life. Although I found the ending lacking a definite resolution, the film was thought provoking and powerful. I recommend this film for the movie-goer looking for more provoking ideas than today’s average movie provides.