8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 5.0 | |
Overall | 4.6 |
Told through the eyes of François Truffaut's cinematic counterpart, Antoine Doinel, "The 400 Blows" sensitively re-creates the trials of Truffaut's own childhood, unsentimentally portraying aloof parents, oppressive teachers, and petty crime.
Starring: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Robert Beauvais, Claire Maurier, Albert Rémy, Guy DecombleDrama | 100% |
Foreign | 72% |
Coming of age | 6% |
Crime | 2% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.34:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.35:1
French: LPCM Mono (48kHz, 24-bit)
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (locked)
Movie | 5.0 | |
Video | 4.5 | |
Audio | 5.0 | |
Extras | 5.0 | |
Overall | 5.0 |
François Truffaut’s "The 400 Blows" (1959) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the disc include two audio commentaries, one by cinema professor Brian Stonehill and the other by the director's lifelong friend Robert Lachenay; rare audition footage; archival interviews; original trailer; and more. In French, with optional English subtitles for the main feature. Region-A "locked".
Reading Balzac while having a smoke
Presented in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, François Truffaut's The 400 Blows arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion.
The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this Blu-ray release:
"This new high-definition digital transfer was created on a Spirit Datacine from a 35mm composite fine-grain master positive. Thousands of instances of dirt, debris, and scratches were removed using the MTI Digital Restoration System. The soundtrack was mastered at 24-bit from a 35mm optical soundtrack, and audio restoration tools were used to reduce clicks, pops, hiss, and crackle.
Telecine supervisors: Lee Kline, Maria Palazzola.
Telecine colorist: Jean-Marc Moreau/Vdm, Paris."
I could not wait to get my hands on this Blu-ray disc. Aside from The Third Man, this is the second black-and-white film to be released on Blu-ray by Criterion and I was very impatient to see how it would look in high-definition. First of all, the color scheme is terrific -- the blacks are lush and very rich, while the whites are crisp and natural looking. Contrast is very pleasing as well. As soon as I received the disc, I took my DVD release of The 400 Blows from The Adventures of Antoine Doinel box set and ran a few quick comparisons. Aside from the stronger detail and contrast, this new high-definition presentation holds together substantially better on a large-size screen. Second, I must note that there are absolutely no traces of problematic degraining corrections. Indeed, the grain structure of the film is very much intact, and I am convinced that film buffs will be pleased with the organic qualities of the high-definition transfer. Third, I did not see any large scratches, debris, damage marks, or stains that could spoil your viewing experience. (Obviously, if you have already seen how good the DVD version of The 400 Blows looked, then you should have a pretty good idea what to expect from the Blu-ray release). This being said, there are a few minor sharpness fluctuations, but they were also present on the French MK2 Blu-ray release of The 400 Blows, so more than likely they are inherited. To sum it all up, this is the best presentation of The 400 Blows that I have seen to date. (Note: This is a Region-A "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-A or Region-Free player in order to access its content).
There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: French LPCM 1.0. Optional English subtitles are provided for the main feature. When turned on, they appear inside the image frame.
As expected, the audio treatment is as solid as the video presentation discussed above. The dialog is crisp, very clear and without any distortions that I could detect. Furthermore, Jean Constantin's music sounds quite lovely. As far as I am concerned, the soundtrack is also notably well balanced. You won't hear any disturbing pops, background hiss, or cracks either.
All of the supplemental materials found on the DVD release of François Truffaut's 400 Blows have been ported to the Blu-ray disc. First, there are two audio commentaries, one by cinema Professor Brian Stonehill and another by François Truffaut's lifelong friend Robert Lachenay. Both commentaries are very informative, but I personally prefer the one by Mr. Lachenay as it offers a very personal look at The 400 Blows and its director (the French-language commentary features optional italicized English subtitles). Interviews - here you will see rare 16mm screen tests featuring an interview with Jean-Pierre Léaud, an improvised dialogue between Léaud and Patrick Auffay (René in the film), and an audition by Richard Kanayan (who plays one of the children, and went on to appear in Truffaut's Shoot the Piano Players [1960]). Cannes 1959 - this newsreel excerpt from Francois Chalais and Jacques Planche's Reflets de Cannes 1959 presents the excitement of the film's screening and award winning at the festival (Truffaut won Best Actor), along with Jean-Pierre Léaud's thoughts about being in the acclaimed film. Cineaste de notre temps - this excerpt from the "Francois Truffaut ou l'espirit critique" episode of the French TV show Cineaste de notre temps (December 2, 1965) features Truffaut discussing his youth, his critical writings for Cahiers du cinema, and the beginnings of Antoine Doinel in The 400 Blows and Antoine and Colette. Other interviewees include Jean-Pierre Léaud, Albert Remy (Antoine's stepfather), and collaborator Claude de Givray. Cinepanorama - in this excerpt from the TV show Cinepanorama (Jean Bescout, February 20th, 1960), host France Roche interviews Francois Truffaut after his return from New York, where The 400 Blows was named Best Foreign Film by the New York Film Critics Circle. He discusses the global reception of The 400 Blows and performs some self-critical evaluation of his work. Finally, there is also a theatrical trailer. The Blu-ray disc also arrives with a lovely booklet where you would find "Close to Home", a very informative essay by film scholar Annette Insdorf.
Francois Truffaut's timeless masterpiece The 400 Blows looks and sounds spectacular on Blu-ray. I am unsure what else to say here that hasn't already been said better by countless other film critics. So, I would like to encourage you to do whatever it takes to add The 400 Blows to your collections because without it they would be incomplete. VERY HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Remastered
1959
Les quatre cents coups
1959
Les quatre cents coups
1959
1965
Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux / My Life to Live
1962
À bout de souffle
1960
Otto e mezzo / Federico Fellini's 8½
1963
1995
Le dernier métro
1980
1960
1987
2015
Jules et Jim
1962
Det sjunde inseglet
1957
Mitt liv som hund
1985
Il deserto rosso
1964
Smultronstället
1957
1973
L'heure d'été
2008
1959
Le salaire de la peur
1953
一一
2000
1984