Four Hundred Blows

by François Truffaut

Book Overview

Applause Books This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0394171381
• ISBN13: 9780394171388
• Release Date: January 1969
• Publisher: Grove/Atlantic
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Blu-ray: An absolutely awesome release on Blu-ray but now I hope Criterion releases the Adventure of

In 1959, Francois Truffaut released a semibiographical film about his life with "the 4oo blows" (Les quatre cents coups). A film highly regarded as a definitive film that showcases French New Wave (a term to describe a group of French filmmakers in the 1950's-1960's that were inspired by classic Hollywood cinema and Italian Neorealism). The film won several awards which include "Best Director Award" at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival and "Best Original Screenplay" at the 32nd Annual Academy Awards. Needless to say, the film made Francois Truffaut and young actor Jean-Pierre Léaud Internationally known and definitely gave movie fans a taste of the French New Wave film. "the 400 blows" is the first of five films spanning around 20 years based on the character of Antoine Doinel (played by Jean-Pierre Léaud). Each film showcases the character's life as a teenager through his 30's but for "the 400 blows", the film focuses on the life of a troubled teenager. Although not based 100% on Director Francois Truffaut's real life, a large part of the film was based on his troubled family life and in order for him to capture that life he had, he picked the right person with Jean-Pierre Leaud, an unknown actor (who was just as an antisocial loner) who was 13 and a half years old but had that rebellious nature that Truffaut found. A boy who would not have to learn a script but to use his his own words. This added to the realism of the film and what made this film so fantastic and engrossing just to watch. VIDEO & AUDIO: "the 400 blows" is presented in 1080p High Definition with an aspect ratio of 2:35:1. Black bars and the top and bottom of the screen are normal for this format and the transfer is much different from the previous DVD release from Criterion years go as this was a high-definition digital transfer cared on a Spirit Datacine form a 35mm composite fine-gain master positive. As with most Criterion Blu-ray releases, the company also had thousands of instances of dirt, debris and scratches removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System. The picture quality, although in black and white, looks incredible for a film released back in 1959. Black are nice and deep but you can see a lot more detail in the surroundings. Suffice to say, THE CRITERION COLLECTION releases films with how the director intended the film to be. There is no DNR (digital noise reduction) and no softness and the film keeps the grain and retains its film-like quality. The film just looks beautiful on Blu-ray! As for audio, the soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from a 35mm optical soundtrack and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss and crackle. The audio has an uncompressed monaural soundtrack. My Onkyo receiver received a multichannel signal (via bitstream) but overall, I did not select a monaural setting when watching the film but I found the dialog to be clear and understandable. Music by Jean Constantin was also also clear. Subtitles ar

Blu-ray info

I own Criterion's latest DVD release (from 2006) and now the Blu-ray edition of The 400 Blows. For anyone who would like to know about the differences between the two, other than the HD presentation, there are only a few. The extras are the identical, from the commentaries and archival footage to the essay in the booklet. So, in terms of content, the Blu-ray is edition is virtually the same as the latest DVD edition. (This is in contrast to, say, Criterion's Blu-ray of The Last Emperor, which jettisoned the "television version" present in the DVD released just months before.) Yes, there is a noticeable difference in the quality of the video. The Blu-ray is less muddled and has sharper black-and-white contrasts. I also noticed some intermittent flicks of white in the DVD that have been corrected in the Blu-ray. (I actually feel spoiled by Criterion because I half-expect all of my classic films to be flawless now!) The Blu-ray also touts an uncompressed audio track. I can't say that the Blu-ray is a must-upgrade, but the difference in video quality is definitely there.

400 Blows

I've spent decades avoiding THE 400 BLOWS, afraid it was either dark and brooding, or a documentation of child abuse (physical and/or emotional), or an angry and vindictive assault on the authors' of Francois Truffaut's traumatic childhood. I shouldn't have worried. THE 400 BLOWS is a gentle and compassionate movie. It isn't overwhelmed by its anger, although a few characters, particularly the coming-of-age hero's mother and his school teacher, aren't terribly sympathetic. Being new to THE 400 BLOWS, I found the commentary by Premiere magazine film critic Glen Kenny especially helpful in understanding French New Wave cinema in general and Truffaut in particular. By the way, according to Kenny "400 blows" refers to a French colloquialism similar to the American "paint the town red." It means to give oneself over to every type of excess, and raise a little heck in the process.

A classic, heartfelt coming of age story

In Francois Truffaut's debut, award winning film, he paints visually the pain and joy of childhood, through a semi-autobiographical account of a 13 year old boy living in France. Antoine, lives with his mother and father in an apartment, on minimum finance. He gets into trouble at school, time after time, and at home his parents punish him, but at heart, he is a good kid. He decides to run away, but his parents find him, and they begin to treat him nicer. But when he gets suspended from school, he runs away for good. He begins stealing, and he gets caught. After he stays at a special home for juvenile delinquents, he escapes and his spirit prevails. This story is very moving, and entertaining. You get pulled into the young boy's life, and can relate with him. After you see how he keeps hope and prevails, it creates a warm feeling, and inspires you. The direction is perfect, and the director won the Best Director at Cannes Film Festival. I highly recommend those who wish to watch a fun, entertaining tale of hope and faith in the face of seemingly endless problems. 5 stars.

A True-to-the-Bones-and-Heart Modern Day Dickensian Fable

The most heart-felt movie I've ever seen is a powerful mix of sharp-eye, hardhitting autobiographical remembrance of a nearly bruised childhood and a celebration of the wide-open, spontaneous and lyrical qualities of cinema to capture pointed truths of family, school and street lives as seen through the curiously haunted eyes of one Antoine Doinel, a modern-day Dickensian hero in a decidedly unglamours Paris, searching, often wrongheadly, for love and acceptance while, almost against himself, challenging the authorial rules imposed on children growing up in conformist post-WWII France. The film's tone is one of anguished bittersweetness and quiet defiance, counterpointed by bursts of joyful freedom and naughty prank playings as shared by many in their pre-adolescenthood. Doniel's friendship with the well-off but neglected Rene is also among the most moving portraits of childhood friendship ever. An unforgettable portrait, a cutting social study, a New Wave classic and Truffaut's best, but most importantly a timeless and univsersal "true" story. And yes, the last freeze, when it comes, is a stunner. Gosh, I just love it! (P.S., this relatively small and quiet masterpiece also happens to be the all-time favorite film of John Woo, imagine!)