Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

The 400 Blows Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov August 12, 2014

Francois Truffaut's "The 400 Blows" (1959) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include an original trailer for the film; introduction by Serge Toubiana, president of Cinémathèque française; archival screen tests; and audio commentary by French film critic and Francois Truffaut childhood friend Robert Lachenay. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

The troublemaker

Twelve-year-old Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud, Masculin Féminin, La Chinoise) is a troublemaker. He skips school and goes to the movies, steals, lies and runs away from home. But he wants to be good -- he takes care of the garbage and helps his stepfather cook. Occasionally, he even tries to get his homework done.

At school, Antoine isn’t liked. His teacher (Guy Decombie, Bob Le Flambeur) is convinced that the boy is always up to no good and routinely reminds him that he is keeping an eye on him. Antoine doesn’t like his teacher either. The two argue a lot and the Antoine often ends up standing alone in front of the classroom board.

Antoine’s mother (Claire Maurier, La Cage aux Folles) isn’t too fond of her son either. She is also having an affair with another man, who treats her in a way her husband doesn't. Because she has grown tired of the tiny apartment the Doinel family shares, she spends as much time away from it as possible. Antoine’s stepfather does not know about his wife’s affair and believes that she works a lot to provide for the family.

While away from school, Antoine accidentally sees his mother with her lover. He does not reveal to his stepfather what he has seen, but makes it clear to his mother that he knows about her affair. Then for a short period of time things change for the better and the Doinel family become closer.

Very soon, however, Antoine is again in trouble. He is caught stealing and quickly sent to a correctional facility. He becomes angry, and so do his parents. As time goes by, Antoine then learns about life, responsibility and dignity. Eventually, he earns his freedom, but not the forgiveness of his parents.

François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows chronicles a young boy’s struggle to become independent in a world ruled by adults. We begin to feel about Antoine the moment we see him. We immediately understand what his heart desires, but we also realize that he cannot outsmart those he disagrees with. Then gradually we come to the realization that he is a doomed rebel.

Like all great coming-of-age films The 400 Blows boasts memorable images that linger with us long after the end credits roll. There are sequences in it that are so beautiful we don’t want the main characters to utter their lines and disrupt the magic. At times it feels almost as if we have discovered a painting that has suddenly come alive.

Dedicated to the great André Bazin -- a close friend of Truffaut and founder of Cahiers du Cinema, the influential French film magazine -- The 400 Blows is also an incredibly tender film. Even though Antoine experiences so many disappointments, we rarely see him looking bitter. On the contrary, he finds humor in his failures and smiles at those who punish him. We do not detect a sense of guilt through his actions either.

I saw The 400 Blows rather late, after I had already seen Louis Malle’s Le Souffle au Coeur a.k.a. Murmur of the Heart, another terrific coming-of-age film. For reasons I’d rather not talk about, I ended up attending a special screening where the film was shown to a select few, dubbed in a foreign language. I doubt those who were in the screening room with me understood what it was supposed to convey. Later on, I recall many of them openly dismissing it as a naive and childish film about a boy who couldn’t stay away from trouble. For me, The 400 Blows was a revelation. The final sequence where Antoine looks at the ocean and then runs into the water overjoyed by his newly found freedom stayed with me for years. It also inspired me to break free of the world I could not tolerate.

The 400 Blows Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 2.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Francois Truffaut's The 400 Blows arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Artificial Eye.

The encode is not identical to the one Criterion used for their Blu-ray release of The 400 Blows back in 2009, but the two have very similar characteristics. Indeed, despite the frequent camera movement detail and clarity are still pleasing. Close-ups, in particular, are quite nice (see screencaptures #1 and 3). Even a few of the panoramic shots impress with good depth and fluidity (see screencapture #4). The age of the master from which the high-definition transfer was struck, however, begins to show during a few of the daylight sequences, where grain could be slightly better resolved and sharpness levels could be better balanced. There are no traces of problematic denoising corrections. There are a few daylight sequences where some light halo effects sneak in, but detail is never compromised. Lastly, there are no serious stability issues to report in this review. Also, there are no large cuts, debris, damage marks, or stains. All in all, next to the recent releases of Francois Truffaut films The 400 Blows now looks slightly dated, but I still like its appearance. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

The 400 Blows Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French LPCM 2.0. For the record, Artificial Eye have provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.

Depth and clarity are pleasing, but there are some minor inherited fluctuations (all of them are part of the film's original sound design). Jean Constantin's score has primarily a supportive role, but it is well balanced and sounds great. The dialog is stable and easy to follow. There are no pops, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in this review. The English translation is very good (but it is not identical to Criterion's translation).

The 400 Blows Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction with Serge Toubiana - Serge Toubiana, president of Cinémathèque française, introduces The 400 Blows. In French, with optional English subtitles. (5 min).

• Trailer - original French trailer for The 400 Blows. In French, with optional English subtitles. (4 min).

• Screen Tests - presented here is raw footage from screen tests with Jean-Pierre Leaud and Richard Kanayan. In French, with optional English subtitles. (7 min).

• Robert Lachenay Commentary - French film critic and Francois Truffaut childhood friend Robert Lachenay discusses in great detail his friendship with the French director, what The 400 Blows means to him (Mr. Lachenay was an assistant director on this film), how and where various sequences were shot, interesting events from Truffaut's personal life (for example, at one point Truffaut hired a detective to find his real father) and his love for Balzac's work, etc. In French, with optional English subtitles.

The 400 Blows Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

It is great to see that Artificial Eye are bringing so many of Francois Truffaut's films to Blu-ray. While most older film aficionados are more than likely familiar with them, there are many younger film enthusiasts that will get a chance to discover them on Blu-ray. I think that this is fantastic because the likes of Jules & Jim and Shoot the Pianist look quite spectacular now. Truffaut's The 400 Blows, one of the greatest coming-of-age films of all time, does not need my recommendation. Simply put, if you don't have it, then your collection is incomplete.