👋 Welcome back, blog!
🎥 The film that I will be discussing today is a coming-of-age film and is titled The 400 Blows. It was created during the French New Wave. This film shows the new generation and how different it is in relation to past generations. The vibe of the film was also pretty distinct because, at the time, light film equipment and affordable production were new. This kind of production was also being done by people who weren't 'professionals' per se since they were film club members who decided to start creating films of their own (as was stated in the "Film and History: New Wave Cinema and '68" article by Eugene McCreary). Focusing on the new generation was something that these film producers at the time wanted to show and that's exactly what we see in this film.
🌈 One of the first things someone might notice at the start of watching this film is how it is a black and white film. Although film in color was available, the director chose to have it be in black and white. The reasoning behind this decision was that the director thought that it would be aesthetically pleasing and allow the audience to completely focus on the plot. I think this was a wise decision because I know that I would most definitely be distracted by the prettiness of France and lose my focus on the action. I also thought that the black and white choice is sort of symbolic. When people are asked to think back to their childhood, they normally remember it as being so colorful and bright. They remember the good old times and the pure happiness they once had. In this film, the main character, Antoine Doinel, was not living the ideal childhood life. He was struggling because of misinterpretations from his family and teachers and was going through a rough time as most children reaching the rebellious phase do. Honestly, I do wish his parents had shown him some tough love (using a belt). Maybe that would have been the thing to straighten him up a bit without going to the extreme of sending him to a juvenile detention center.
👍 I liked how realistic this film was. It showed life in France without the glamour. It showed how boys act in a classroom and how children tend to start rebelling at a young age. I liked how I didn't get distracted by backgrounds since this film was in black and white.
👀 I recommend this film if you like French movies and enjoy a focus on a kid's life. You won't be seeing much of the Eiffel Tower, though, so don't expect it to be that kind of film. Also, the ending is sort of like a cliffhanger. I personally dislike cliffhangers so don't watch this film if you can't handle not knowing what happens next.
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I'm surprised that you think 'tough love' would work on Antoine. I feel like oftentimes he was seeing and experiencing things he knew were wrong. Like his mother with another man, and being slapped in front of his class. These thing have a massive impact on children who are young and growing. I think it's very different nowadays because in the United States it is not civil to hit a child. But back then it's really how people grew up. I find your perspective very intriguing.
ReplyDeleteI think your view that the film's use of black and white is connected to Antoine (and Truffaut's) negative perspective of childhood is a really interesting one. It definitely challenges the innocent or happy perspective that our society typically associates with childhood.
ReplyDeleteI like that you mentioned the impact the black and white aesthetic has on the film as a whole. I believe that since the film was centered on the childhood of a young boy the black and white aesthetic also adds to the melancholy of the sad childhood Antoine had. Lastly, I like that you touch on the topic of discipline I personally do not believe that tough love generally works on every child sometimes this could make them want to rebel even more but I do agree that Antoine's parents should have disciplined him more and tried to be there for their son instead of sending him off to a juvenile detention center.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you Tania and some of the other people here that the black and white aesthetic is really important to the film's whole take on the filmmaker's memories of childhood. I feel like the use of black and white makes everything seem both more documentary like and also more dreamlike.
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