Highly-Praised French Movie The 400 Blows Directed By Francois Truffaut

Added: 11/22/2007

The 400 Blows by Francois Truffaut has an absolutely moving story. It’s a movie in French which is later than translated in English. It revolves around a little by always has an attitude of unwanted ness from her mother and step-father. The troubles he get himself into due to lack of attention from his parents and how he manages to face his own problems is the synopsis of this movie.

The movie The 400 Blows directed by Francois Truffaut is basically a French movie translated in English later on. Francois Truffaut was one of the founders of the French New Wave and is still is famous and remembered for his French movies that he directed. In a film career lasting just over a quarter of a century, he was director, screenwriter, actor and producer or in over twenty-five films. Francois Truffaut was adopted by his step-father who gave him his name. Even though his parents were alive he still lived with his grandmother who instilled the love of books and music in him. When his grandmother passed away then it was the first time he lived with his parents. Some of the movies directed by Francois are Antoine and Colette (1962), Fahrenheit 451 (2965), The Wild Child(1970) in which he also acted himself and The Woman Next Door(1981).

The 400 Blows is about a little boy, Antoine who was born while her mother is still unmarried. She later on marries an old man just to give Antoine a last name. His mother is unhappily married to the old man and takes that frustration and anger out on Antoine punishing him for nothing. Their family is financially unstable and insecure, Antoine is poorly fed and dressed, sleeps in a sleeping bag just because it’s warm. Antoine does not have his own room neither his personal bed therefore, it suggests that both his mother and step-father consider him as a burden. They do not care about his schooling, education and what kind of friends he is hanging out with.
Due to having no guidance from his parents, he makes friends who are cunning enough to do thing and put the blame on Antoine. He involves himself in childish prank at the commencement of his schoolmates. Eventually, at the urging of his friend Renй, he steals a typewriter from his step-father’s workplace. He and his friend plan to pawn it, when they find out they can’t do so Antoine attempt to return it where he gets caught by his step-father. His father turns him in to the police stating that he is habitual of doing such things, leaving Antoine to the mercy of the French judicial system. From there the French judicial system places Antoine to a detention at first and then shifts him to a wok place. His mother knowing all this does not protest and agrees with the decision Antoine made. During his interrogation at the detention center it comes out that, instead of being raised with his mother and step-father, he has usually been shuffled off to his other relatives.
The last scene in The 400 Blows is an impressive one where Antoine eventually escapes and runs towards the sea. The film ends on a freeze frame where Antoine is on a beach with his feet in the surf, looking back to the shore, with no place left to run. At the time when this movie as released no movie used to have an ending like this which impressed and amazed the audience.
The 400 Blows was highly praised, winning numerous awards, including the Best Director award at the 1959 Cannes Film Festival, the Best European Film Award at 1960's Bodil Awards and the Critics Award of the 1959 New York Film Critics Circle. It was nominated for Best Original Screenplay at the 32nd Academy Awards.

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