A review of the classic 1959 French film “The 400 Blows”
This French-language, black and white film was the first made by François Truffaut who both directed it and wrote the screenplay. It is partly autobiographical and tells the story of 13 year old Antoine Doinel played by the only slightly older Jean-Pierre Léaud. Truffaut went on to make a further four films with Léaud, but this one is regarded as the classic.It is shot in a naturalistic, almost documentary-like, style in which the city pf Paris itself is almost part of the cast. So the opening shots show the Paris of the tourist, with the Eiffel Tower viewed from a variety of angles, while much of the following narrative portrays a grittier, working-class view of urban life at home, at school, and on the streets.
The final minutes of the work are particularly memorable as the camera tracks the boy running and finally freezes on his face to provide an ambiguous conclusion to this immensely moving and rather sad tale.