The 400 Blows (The Criterion Collection)
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DVD details
Artist: Auffay, LeaudDVD: Region Code 0
Audio: English (Subtitled)
Format: Black & White, Dolby, DVD, Letterboxed, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 2.35:1
Running Time: 94 minutes
DVD Release Date: 1998-03-31
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Criterion Collection
DVD Reviews of The 400 Blows (The Criterion Collection)
DVD Review: "Not everybody has a tongue like yours."
Summary: 2 Stars
Adolescence is a difficult time for any child. It does not matter where you grow up or in what era. The period between childhood and adulthood is fraught with awkwardness and insecurity. Francois Truffaut's "The 400 Blows" examines the life of one such child as he takes his first baby steps toward a new stage in his life. Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Leaud) is a young man who lives with his mother (Claire Maurier) and stepfather (Albert Remy) in Paris. He has his troubles but is not really a bad child - he is just a confused boy looking for adventure, attention, and guidance. However, a serious error in judgment leads Antoine to steal a typewriter and he is sent off to a juvenile detention home. He eventually escapes his confinement and heads for the beach. While staring out at the sea, Antoine tries to make some sense out of his life.
"The 400 Blows" is a restrained version of "Rebel Without A Cause" (1955). It deals with the problem of juvenile delinquency and the confusion of adolescence from a stark and minimalist perspective. There are no drag races or switchblade fights to sensationalize the proceedings. This is a film more concerned with personal introspection and the harsh realities of the real world. Yet, while there is a richness to the film's texture, "The 400 Blows" is a trying film to watch. It is a technically-sound film that will appeal to the film student but will not appeal to the casual viewer. Truffaut captures the nuances of everyday life so well that the film mimics life's routine nature to perfection. The end result is a viewing experience that becomes too monotonous to be enjoyable.
Description of The 400 Blows (The Criterion Collection)
Released in 1959, François Truffaut's first feature, The 400 Blows (Les Quatre cents coups), is also his most personal. Based on his own stormy childhood, The 400 Blows unsentimentally portrays aloof parents, oppressive teachers, petty crime, and a friendship that would last a lifetime. The film marks Truffaut's passage from leading critic of the French New Wave to his emergence as one of Europe's most brilliant auteurs.Francois Truffaut's first feature was this 1959 portrait of Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud), a boy who turns to petty crime in the face of neglect at home and hard times at a reform school. Somewhat autobiographical for its director, the film helped usher in the heady spirit of the French New Wave, and introduced the Doinel character, who became a fixture in Truffaut's movies over the years. Poignant, exhilarating, and fun (there's a parade of cameo appearances from some of the essential icons and directors from the movement), this film is an important classic. --Tom Keogh
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