Description:
François Truffaut s first feature is also his most personal. Told through the eyes of Truffaut s cinematic counterpart, Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud), The 400 Blows sensitively re-creates the trials of Truffaut s own difficult childhood, unsentimentally portraying aloof parents, oppressive teachers, and petty crime. The film marked Truffaut s passage from leading critic to trailblazing auteur of the French New Wave.
BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES:
New, restored high-definition digital transfer, with an uncompressed monaural soundtrack
Two audio commentaries: one by cinema professor Brian Stonehill and another by Franç
François Truffaut s first feature is also his most personal. Told through the eyes of Truffaut s cinematic counterpart, Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud), The 400 Blows sensitively re-creates the trials of Truffaut s own difficult childhood, unsentimentally portraying aloof parents, oppressive teachers, and petty crime. The film marked Truffaut s passage from leading critic to trailblazing auteur of the French New Wave.
BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES:
New, restored high-definition digital transfer, with an uncompressed monaural soundtrack
Two audio commentaries: one by cinema professor Brian Stonehill and another by François Truffaut s lifelong friend Robert Lachenay
Rare audition footage of Jean-Pierre Léaud, Patrick Auffay, and Richard Kanayan
Newsreel footage of Léaud in Cannes for the showing of The 400 Blows
Excerpt from a TV program in which Truffaut discusses his youth, his critical writings, and the origins of Antoine
TV interview with Truffaut about the global reception of The 400 Blows and his own critical impression of the film
Theatrical trailer
PLUS: An essay by film scholar Annette Insdorf
Amazon.com essential video
Francois Truffaut's first feature was this 1959 portrait of Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud), a boy who turns to petty crime in the face of neglect at home and hard times at a reform school. Somewhat autobiographical for its director, the film helped usher in the heady spirit of the French New Wave, and introduced the Doinel character, who became a fixture in Truffaut's movies over the years. Poignant, exhilarating, and fun (there's a parade of cameo appearances from some of the essential icons and directors from the movement), this film is an important classic. --Tom Keogh
The knowing yet innocent face of Jean-Pierre Leaud, the 14-year-old star of The 400 Blows, is the heartbreaking core of Francois Truffaut's most intimate film. As Antoine Doinel, Leaud begins his career as director Truffaut's alter-ego, a young boy neglected by his mother and stepfather who, to cover his absence at school, tells a lie that leads him to run away from home and end up in reform school. There's nothing remarkable or surprising about the plot; the power of this film comes from how completely it draws you into Antoine's life. Antoine is a vivid, natural presence, one of the most compelling collaborations between a writer/director and an actor. The movie seems to capture him as he lives. Antoine endures his parent's indifference, humiliations at school, deprivation and juvenile delinquency--yet the movie never feels pitying or condescending, as if it were trying to rub your nose in Antoine's suffering. On the contrary: His resilience is what grabs you, his refusal to be broken down as he struggles towards a more adult understanding of the world. Truffaut and Leaud made many excellent films together (Day for Night, Two English Girls), including further chapters in Antoine's life (Bed and Board, Stolen Kisses), but none were quite as simple, rich, and devastatingly potent as The 400 Blows. (The title, incidentally, refers not to abuse or anything sexual, but is a French idiom for a wild and unruly youth or "raising hell.") --Bret Fetzer
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Manufacturer: Criterion
Release date: 24 March 2009
Number of discs: 1
EAN: 0715515042413 UPC: 715515042413
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