The 400 Blows (dir. François Truffaut, 1959) - EveryFilmIWatch Review

A plausible contender for the greatest film of the French Nouvelle Vague, Les Quatre Cent Coups is a tribute to what is achievable with the right child actor. The film, depicting the life of a misunderstood Parisian schoolboy, is director François Truffaut’s most personal and profound work, though the semi-autobiographical nature and its stylistic rawness (typical of French films of the era) prevent it from ever becoming preachy or overtly philosophical.

Jean-Pierre Léaud — only fourteen at the time of filming — delivers one of the great performances of the century as the young Antoine Doinel, demonstrating what an electric experience it can be to witness a young actor with such a powerful grasp of his role. The subtlety of his expressions, the infantile defiance that rubs shoulders with genuine trauma at his insecure position in life is deeply affecting; he adopts a naturalism that works perfectly in communication with the stripped back rhetorical tool-kit preferred by Truffaut and his New Wave compatriots.

There are few endings to films as iconic as the final tracking shot from Truffaut, boldly closing on the much-represented freeze frame of Doinel experiencing the confused elation of his (presumably) short-lived break for freedom. Like many great films of its type, Les Quatre Cent Coups is as much a reflection of the cultural circumstances in which Doinel exists as it is a coming of age film, capturing post-war Paris with the same highs and lows as the pubescent fortunes of the protagonist. What remains remarkable about Truffaut’s defining work is that it maintains both its charm and its bitterness so many decades later. Doinel’s age bolsters the universality of the character, and Truffaut’s lens captures his every reflection with honesty and passion, elevating the psychology of his character to iconic heights. A benchmark film for the era.

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