Nouvelle Vague (400 Blows (Les 400 Coups) (DVD))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	400 Blows (Les 400 Coups) (DVD)
Date:	02/07/09 (4 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great performances

Disadvantages: Subtitles

If you're a fan of cinema in any major way, you'll be familiar with the French New Wave (aka Nouvelle Vague), a cinematic movement of the 1960s that rejected the classical Hollywood paradigm of conventional narrative, of simple, action packed stories with straight, simple steadicam direction. Francois Truffaut and his contemporaries, such as Jean-Luc Godard, wanted to challenge this Hollywood way of making films, and did so in a huge way with films such as The 400 Blows.

Antoine is a young boy who, like many picaresque protagonists of works of the French New Wave, is going through an existential crisis. His parents frequently argue, and at school he acts out as a result. Thus, he knows no place in the world, and as a consequence, makes some rather questionable decisions in order to challenge the conditions of his existence. Needless to say, this is incredibly intelligent filmmaking that, being released in 1959, is evidently incredibly ahead of its time, and has set something of a benchmark that still hasn't really been beaten.

Much of the film's praise can be levied to Jean-Pierre Léaud, the wonderful young actor playing Antoine. He starred in several further films with Godard, playing young, alienated characters going through an existential crisis.

Francois Truffaut's debut feature is an uncomprimising and honest look at the troubles of youth, benefitting from Truffaut's autobiographical elements and his use of wide-screen. Sad yet free of sentiment, this is one of the more unique, informative works of the French New Wave.

Summary: Superb for fans of foreign film