Pick one of the scenes below and write a 3-paragraph DETAILED analysis. Include at least one quote from a review that you find on the Movie Review Query Engine. Remember also to come up with an overarching theme for your analysis, state why you chose your scene, and the scene's relationship to the film as a whole.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uP2eWHdZLDE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9I-gsap0po
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ERAGjXnXQwk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r00iQjNtC0k
The 400 Blows, an iconic film by Francois Truffaut about a young boy, can be interpreted as a film dedicated to portraying the struggles of moving from childhood to adulthood. One scene in particular that caught my attention was the spinning ride scene. In this scene Antoine gets on an amusement park ride that spins around so fast to the point you don’t need gravity. The opening shot is a high angle, depicting Antoine standing alone. It then cuts to the viewers or adults standing above him in a low angle shot. This juxtaposition may signify how he feels small and childish in relation to the world around him, especially in regards to adults. The camera remains still as the ride then begins to spin showing the remaining people on the ride as well as the people watching up above. The cuts going back and forth from the ride to the quickly spinning audience suggests a certain urgency or confusion. This may symbolize that Antoine feels confused, disoriented and is being pulled in so many different directions in his life that he doesn't even know what to do. To further this point Antoine then turns himself upside down in the ride signifying how his world is twisting and turning with chaos almost as if the world he knows is turning upside down. As a young boy his thoughts on what life is about as well as what he must do and what is important is being altered every day.
ReplyDeleteAs he is attempting to return into an upright position Antoine hits his head several times on the back of the ride since the pull of the ride is so strong. Meanwhile the camera cuts back and forth from Antoine to the now rapidly spinning crowd (high angle). This may signify that as he attempts to form himself as an individual, society is forcibly molding him into something he isn’t. It can be argued that the entire movie has a substantial theme of societal norms and attempting to break away from them. The transformation Antoine is going through I believe is thoroughly highlighted in this scene as part of growing up is becoming who you really are.
As Robert Ebert says, Antoine is caught “between past and future.” This theme is highlighted with the use of the high and low angle shots. Francois does a spectacular job at cinematicly capturing Antoine’s struggles, trials and tribulations Through the use of this one simple shot of the amusement park ride.
When watching “The 400 Blows”, One scene that stands out the most to me is where Antonie is shown escaping the Observation center near the end of the movie. Basically what's is shown here throughout the whole 5 minute scene, there no non-diegetic sound that can be heard to the audience. The only diegetic sound that can be heard is the sounds of Antonie’s footsteps is heard and a couple of ambient sounds such as the crunching of the grass and leaves, and occasionally birds are heard chirping in the background. The lack of non-diegetic sound, is used to create suspense for Antonie in hopes of not getting caught and being punished from the people in the observation center. The use of Mise-En-Scene is a part of Antonie’s state of mind, where as he thinks he is finally escaping the Observation center and is home free, forests of trees are shown to gradually become smaller in size, and Antonie appears more open in the frame the farther he runs to escape.
ReplyDeleteThe use camera movements that are used in this scene is mainly the tracking shot, and occasionally the high angle shot. This is once again to explain Antonie’s mindset about his freedom, and his hopes of hanging out and admiring the shoreline he explained earlier in the movie when he was talking to his friend. The camera angles also has the feeling of helplessness and is unsure what is about to happen to him when he reaches the shoreline. Also the implicit meaning to this scene is the way Juveniles were treated back in the 19th and 20th century. Depending on their race, culture,and where they came from, one group of people were treated worse than the other specific group of people.This scene explains this dilemma, when for the whole movie, Antonie comes from a slum-like complex apartment, and does poorly in school to which he later gets suspended and runs away from home. These also come into play, when Antonie is shown escaping, his surroundings include a cluster of old and worn down trees and occasionally broken down barns and houses are shown in the background. This scene is also shown to describe his personal story and where he came from. This scene also explains the rough background director Francois Truffaut had endured as an adolescent.
I chose this scene because it explains Antonie’s personality, his state of mind, and his will for freedom for when he escapes the observation center. I think this scene stands out the most for me when right at the end of the movie, Antoine is shown slowly running at the shoreline looking out at the sea, the camera then zoomed in on his face, which showed a freeze frame. My personal speculation for this one frame, is Antonie has been caught by the people in the center looking for him. The reason for this because when Antinone is walking on the shoreline, there is fresh and visible footprints shown across the shoreline. this Also explains this, when the frame freezes on the his face, it show a worried expression as if the people found him and take him back to the center.The scene's relationship to the film as a whole ,is that it basically explains the outcome of Antonie’s fate and uncertainty, like I said before such as whether or not if something terrible has happened to him. Also, This long tracking shot has also explained the long and tedious journey that Antoine has gone through to reach his one goal, which is to look out into the sea he always dreamt of doing. According to Robert Ebert's review, he describes this movie, as “One of the most touching stories ever made about a story of an adolescent. Inspired by Truffaut’s own early life, it shows a resourceful boy growing up in Paris and apparently dashing headlong into a life of crime.”
The police van scene of Francois Truffaut's The 400 Blows contains no dialogue, but says much to the film's purpose and character. Antoine, caught returning the stolen typewriter to his father's office, is arrested and destined to an observation center. The opening shot of the scene shows the exterior of the police station, the bright lights from inside contrasting with the near-blackness of the night outside. The symbolism is obvious; Antoine is going from a somehow relatively good situation to a worse one, filled with dread and unknowing. Prison was previously depicted as by no means good, however, the observation center will be much worse. A striking parallel was found between the police van and, oddly enough, a school bus. The mise-en-scene of the shot, with its placement of the van, allows this parallel to be drawn by obscuring most of the vehicle's details, and by showing the young passengers boarding it. However, the heavy presence of guards in the shot, wielding guns and batons, contradict the school bus parallel. These figures, with their obvious excessiveness in both quantity and quality, serve instead to illustrate the theme of oppression soon to dominate Antoine's life.
ReplyDeletePresent immediately after the van door is shut is a piece of non-diegetic music. The piece's emotional intent is subjective and could be interpreted in numerous ways. However, the music isolated seems innocent, nostalgic, and certainly not evoking of the harshness awaiting Antoine. That mood, coupled with shots of Antoine gazing back through the bars of the van, serve to highlight his reflection on his past life. He is, quite literally, looking back on his past, as he is driven through the streets he grew up, or started to grow up, in. He can see the people and buildings that got him into the back of the police van over the course of his life. The same shots also represent his future, by use of an extremely closed frame, with the van's back panel nearly quartering the visibility of its interior, and bars stretching the length of the small window. Antoine immediately looks trapped, as he is, and helpless to do anything to save himself. Then, as the vehicle drives forward while the camera becomes static, the figures in the frame, including Antoine, become increasingly small and insignificant looking.
Then, in the last few seconds, a shot of Antoine's face fades to one of a dented and scraped black concrete wall. The image shown could not be more dreary. The fade means we immediately associate it with Antoine and recognize it as representing his future: dark, grungy, depressing. Certainly nothing someone his age should have to go through. It's rough, unforgiving, and scarred with use. This declaratory shot then pans to show a guard, or rather, his silhouette, standing outside the bars at the end of a narrow hallway. Mise-en-scene here is very powerful because of how limited it is. We see mainly three things: the guard, the bars, and the walls. Nothing else in Antoine's life now. Just the guard, the bars, and the walls. His imprisonment and its enforcers, all of which are cast in the shadow of oppression eliminating all else from Antoine's life.
The final sequence of 400 Blows speaks volumes to the entire film’s explicit meanings. Symbolism is a major employee of Francois Truffaut. I was first clued in to the film’s universality when in the opening of the concluding sequence of the film, the collection of boys at the school that Antoine had been sent to due to his favor, were all partaking in a game of soccer. When one of the boys kicks the ball out of bounds, Antoine goes to retrieve it and accept the throw in to his team in order for the game to resume. This alone, is reminiscent of the theme of Antoine’s relentlessness, and furthermore, the perseverance that resides within all of the humankind beyond the diegetic realm of the film unfolding before a waiting audience. Continually, after this throw in, and in accordance with the aforementioned of which it symbolizes, Antoine literally breaks free of his confinement one last time, eluding those holding him captive by escaping through an imperfection in the institution’s fencing. This only further supports the cyclic pattern of breaking any binding, physical or spiritual, in order to achieve our personal aspirations in the world today. Furthermore, we find Antoine dodging the man chasing him in a wooded area, waiting under a bridge, which symbolizes, in the case, the side of chance on the favor of the human race-the positive outcome that will only present itself randomly. In continuation, we find an extremely long tracking shot of Antoine as he descends down an incline, as he runs, the land in the background becomes less cluttered with growth, and by and by becomes more empty, creating the illusion that Antoine is running toward pure and utter freedom. When we reach the end of his descent, we find ourselves, with Antoine, surrounded by nothing but open beach and a seemingly eternal ocean. The preceding, implies that if the costs of ascending to our aspirations are too heavy, when we reach or destination, we will not, nor will we ever be, fully satisfied. I can’t help but think of David Mitchell’s newly created novel, Cloud Atlas, wherein the following quote resides: “My life amounts to no more than one drop in a limitless ocean. Yet what is any ocean, but a multitude of drops?” By such, I can infer the following: either David Mitchell was influenced by this cinematic gem, or his similar ideas pertaining to an inevitable ineffability in reference to human comprehension of the world, are solidifying evidence that suggestions about the human condition are present globally, and will eternally be universal.
ReplyDeleteSound was endlessly important in the development of the final sequence of the film, as well. Where we are first found in a rowdy group of young men, partaking in childish games, we transition to a frantic footstep in the forest, and the crunch of leaves beneath hurried feat. We’ve relieved ourselves from the chaos, in this sense, and although still not perfectly serene, we have ascended to a place that is astronomically more tranquil. As Antoine begins his descend down the hill, we here only his rhythmic footsteps, reminding us further that Antoine is in fact alone, and somehow we deduce for ourselves that he is on some vast journey, beyond what is represented directly before us. Soon, and uplifting sort of music begins, which is juxtaposed with his final realization that although surrounded by the vast ocean which he had always desired, he is not satisfied. Before the end, we can draw false conclusions based on the uplifting music, and furthermore deduce important implications about human life- everything, is NOT always what it seems.
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ReplyDeleteQuite possibly the most admirable element to this film is its uncanny ability to achieve verisimilitude through the use of very believable acting, and a very believable sequence of events. Rather than implanting gross amounts of unrealistic events for jarring reactions, the well executed simplicity allows for the film to be appreciated at a deeper level. Bosley Crowther of the New York Times says the following about such, “The striking distinctions of it are the clarity and honesty with which it presents a moving story of the troubles of a 12-year-old boy. Where previous films on similar subjects have been fatted and fictionalized with all sorts of adult misconceptions and sentimentalities, this is a smashingly convincing demonstration on the level of the boy—cool, firm and realistic, without a false note or a trace of goo.”
first sentence should say implicit, not explicit
ReplyDeleteFrancois Truffaut’s iconic film, “The 400 Blows” captures the struggles of a young boy growing up in Paris. As said by Bosley Crowther said in his New York Times article about “400 Blows” in 1959, “the stunningly literal and factual camera style of Truffaut, along with his clear and sympathetic understanding of the matter he explores, one feels close enough to the parents to cry out to them their cruel mistakes.” The scene that most stood out to me was the ending scene, where Antoine manages to escape the juvenile detention center. It starts off with all of the boys playing football(soccer) and just being kids. The ball goes out of the playing field and Antoine runs to get the ball, throwing it back in before he makes a run for it, with one of the guards(?) running after him until Antoine manages to lose the guard. He then proceeds to take off in a random direction, running for what only seems like a few seconds to the audience but seems longer for Antoine until he reaches the sea(or ocean?). The two things that really stuck out to me was the fact that no non-diegetic noise was heard, only the gravel/leaves crunching underneath Antoine’s shoes and the birds, and the camera shot was a medium tracking shot that was entirely focused on Antoine. This makes it seem like Antoine is running for a very long time, since the audience can’t see where he is headed. This could symbolize how lost Antoine is feeling, like he has no idea where he is going, just like the audience. The camera then switches to a POV shot from Antoine’s perspective, looking out at the ocean, from what seems like a higher-angle shot. The empty vastness of the ocean could portray Antoine’s feeling of loneliness and how lost he feels. With all of these elements from this scene, it is easy to see why this ending scene is one of the most well-known endings to a film. In 4 minutes it manages to portray everything that Antoine went through during the film, the trouble and agony of moving from childhood to adulthood
ReplyDeleteFrancois Truffaut’s The 400 blows is a film about the trials and tribulations of young children growing up in a different generation, and therefore different culture, than their parents as well as ourselves. Rather than make the series of events that compose the movie mold to what parents and adults want to hear and what they expect, Truffaut shows everything for what it is. Critics such as Bosley Crowther identify this as one of the films most appealing qualities, saying “where previous films on similar subjects have been fatted and fictionalized with all sorts of adult misconceptions and sentimentalities, this smashingly convincing demonstrations on the the level of the boy-cool, firm, and realistic”. This is emphasized in the scene where the crowd of children watch a puppet show with unwavering focus and interest. These children are young, innocent and not yet influenced by the wonder of the world outside school.
ReplyDeleteFor almost two minutes, medium length shots go back and forth from sections to sections of the mass of children and then to the show being put on for them, Little Red Riding Hood. The young girl’s encounter with the wolf is metaphoric for how the young audience will soon loose their youth of their minds. Yet at this moment, the camera shifts from still to panning shots, from close ups to medium close ups to display all of the young kids and their enthusiasm about the performance, capturing a range and variety of emotions. The different types of shot are also representative of the different children, some wearing glasses, staring with a dopey expression, a crying little girl with curly blonde hair, a little boy and girl eating snacks, etc. In the midst of the many shots of the young kids, there is one single shot of Antoine and René. They sit in the background against a wall, making them appear even more separated from the group, non-interactive and uninterested with the show in contrast with all of the younger kids who are so immersed in the story. The two boys discuss stealing a typewriter and selling it for some extra cash, distractedly gazing at the puppet show. The shot goes back to the an endless image of kids with happy faces. The third to last and last shot are of two boys sitting next to and smiling at each other, one sweetly resting his head on the others shoulder. I can’t help but wonder if they might grow up to be the next dynamic duo who skips out on school and smoke cigars without the knowledge of their parents, because the shift can happen to any child once they lose that young innocence. The sound is all real and diegetic, once more emphasizing the minimal window of reality these young children are capable of realizing.
I chose this scene because I envy the guiltlessness and innocence of the young kids. Their intrigue and enjoyment of the mere puppet show are so different from the children of today with technology and adult topics being pushed towards them. They yell and watch, completely active with the small performance.
(Part 1/2) François Truffaut’s French new wave film, “400 Blows”, has our protagonist Antoine. In the scene of focus, he is put into a police van driving away, caused by his actions and bad behavior. The two minute scene starts off Antoine being guided into the van by a cop, who has his hand on his back. This shows that the cop is in control of Antoine, in how he has nothing left that can get him out of that situation. In the rule of thirds, the right side has the only light source which comes from the police station. This implicitly envelops the idea that outside of that light source comes sadness. Outside on the street by the van it is very dark, which holds a more negative tone, while the brightness inside the station represents an outcome that didn’t happen yet. That outcome was that he was not yet taken away in the van. This is all a lengthier shot, at 18 seconds. In the second sequence of this shot, the camera dollies into Antonio going into the van. Before this dolly, we see the whole body of Antonio walking into the van. He is the focus in this part, however once it dollies, the focus is on both him and the van since they are both in the center of the frame. He then gets into the van, and zips up his jacket. In the van, it is apparent that he is afraid with the expression on his face. There is an older man in the background which even more shows his vulnerability to the situation. His jacket symbolizes something safe in how it is unzipped before he gets in the van, zips it, and sticks his head more into the jacket for a source of protection. This shows that as a character, Antoine is still a child, moving towards an inanimate object for comfort. Then, the door on the van closes, and the second it does, a more sorrow yet soulful score plays. There is a mix of trumpets, piano and chimes that emphasize that there’s nothing Antoine can do. It’s sort of ironic in a way because he’s punished for his behavior, yet this neutral soul music is playing. Also right as the door shuts, there is a cage looking window, which symbolizes that Antoine can no longer escape, and he is trapped in the van due to his behavior. He’s closed in, and when the door shuts, we feel enclosed with him. There is then a 20 second shot that depicts Antoine holding onto the bars looking out into the brightly lit nighttime streets in a look of worriedness. This lengthier shot is used to get us inside of the minds of Antoine. How does he feel, or what is he looking at are questions that are posed to the viewer. We then see a shot from inside of the police van, which is a POV shot from the man next to Antoine. We see him in the left side of the frame holding onto the bars, however the focus is on the streets. We see hustle and bustle on the streets, something that Antoine can no longer experience, and being how the shot is inside of the van, we understand how he feels being secluded from a normal atmosphere. We then see in the next shot, Antoine still holding onto the bars, however with tears down his eyes. This emphasizes him as a character, for the tears show how he’s still in a stage of innocence even though he did worse things that push away this innocence. We see Antoine as someone who is tough throughout the film, and at this scene seeing him truthfully cry, is how we can relate to him. It’s a climactic moment in the film, and the music contributes to this as well. The repeated score throughout the film is now altered in this scene. In juxtaposition to the original score, the one used in this scene is slower and more eerie through a long play of a violin and harp. It’s a signal for defeat on Antoine’s part.
ReplyDelete(Part 2/2) . There is then another shot of inside the van passing by buildings of signs on them. I looked up the definitions for what they meant, and one was “Dare the World” and the other was “Narcissus”. It’s interesting how the first is dare the world because essentially that is what Antoine did, becoming his own person and generating his own views, and eventually escaping where he was sent to. He truly does “Dare the World.” The other one is the name of a Greek God who got caught up in his own image leading to his downfall. This is especially true for Antoine. Through doing what he wanted to do, and making bad decisions against his parents, he reached his downfall in the police van. After this, we are left to the final shot of Antoine, with the camera motionless stuck on him in the center of the frame. He is crying even more and reflecting on the whole situation. This shot then fades out. This climactic scene shaped the film as a whole cinematically in how we now understand Antoine, who he is as a character, and what he will become because of it. Overall, this scene emphasizes themes of innocence, loss, and downfall for Antoine.
ReplyDeleteExcellent response, Erik!
DeleteExcellent response, Erik!
DeleteThe scene I am choosing to analyze is the police van scene towards the end of 400 Blows. Leading up to the scene, Antoine has just been arrested for theft and is being driven to prison. An over –arching theme in the scene is the complete loss of innocence Antoine has just gone through. This is Antoine leaving his adolescence behind in “One of the most touching stories ever made about a story of an adolescent.” The scene illustrates Antoine’s descent into an even rougher life. The pathway he takes is a dark depressing journey.
ReplyDeleteThe scene begins with Antoine being led into the police van with several other people. The framing is closed in on the people in the foreground with the police station and van filling up the full background of the shot. Antoine is the last person led out of the police station and is much shorter than the rest of the inmates to express his youth. The high key lighting contrasts the low key lighting inside the van foreshadowing things to come for Antoine. As Antoine is led out of the station the camera follows and dollies in on him, cutting the station out of frame and only leaving the van to trap the viewer into the van with Antoine. The non-diegetic music begins as soon as the van door shots and with the music begins Antoine’s journey.
As the van begins to pull away the camera switches to a pov shot from Antoine’s perspective and the shots are cut vertically with the jail bars of the van. The camera switches to follow Antoine in the car as he looks around at the world he’s leaving. The Mise-en-scene of the van is grimy and upsetting. The low key lighting of the van fills the inside with darkness and traps Antoine into it. There are many shots from inside the van looking out as the van drives on and Antoine stares. The darkness of night outside the van is broken by the street lights and glimmering signs. As the van drives further the lights become smaller and fade away like Antoine’s innocence and memories. The camera goes back outside of the van and catches the light of the outside on Antoine’s face. The high-key lighting reveals a tear trickling down Antoine’s cheek as he realizes what will happen to him.
The scene I am choosing to analyze is the police van scene towards the end of 400 Blows. Leading up to the scene, Antoine has just been arrested for theft and is being driven to prison. An over –arching theme in the scene is the complete loss of innocence Antoine has just gone through. This is Antoine leaving his adolescence behind in “One of the most touching stories ever made about a story of an adolescent.” The scene illustrates Antoine’s descent into an even rougher life. The pathway he takes is a dark depressing journey.
ReplyDeleteThe scene begins with Antoine being led into the police van with several other people. The framing is closed in on the people in the foreground with the police station and van filling up the full background of the shot. Antoine is the last person led out of the police station and is much shorter than the rest of the inmates to express his youth. The high key lighting contrasts the low key lighting inside the van foreshadowing things to come for Antoine. As Antoine is led out of the station the camera follows and dollies in on him, cutting the station out of frame and only leaving the van to trap the viewer into the van with Antoine. The non-diegetic music begins as soon as the van door shots and with the music begins Antoine’s journey.
As the van begins to pull away the camera switches to a pov shot from Antoine’s perspective and the shots are cut vertically with the jail bars of the van. The camera switches to follow Antoine in the car as he looks around at the world he’s leaving. The Mise-en-scene of the van is grimy and upsetting. The low key lighting of the van fills the inside with darkness and traps Antoine into it. There are many shots from inside the van looking out as the van drives on and Antoine stares. The darkness of night outside the van is broken by the street lights and glimmering signs. As the van drives further the lights become smaller and fade away like Antoine’s innocence and memories. The camera goes back outside of the van and catches the light of the outside on Antoine’s face. The high-key lighting reveals a tear trickling down Antoine’s cheek as he realizes what will happen to him.
I have chosen the police van scene of Truffaut’s The 400 Blows. To many it may seem useless because of the absence of dialogue but it says a great deal about the film’s purpose. The story behind this scene is that Antoine has been caught stealing a typewriter from his dad’s office and, once caught, is to be sent to an “observational center”. As the scene begins we see the exterior of the police station, bright on the inside and near pitch black outside. This exemplifies the symbolism of how Antoine’s life is engulfed in a seemingly never-ending downward spiral. Antoine has made his life worse based on his actions. The look on his face expresses dread and constant unknowing for what is to come.
ReplyDeleteAs the police van drives away, we recieve point of view shots from Antoine looking out of the van but with his face covered by the black steel bars representing his blockade from an era of his life that has come to an end. In a following shot, Antoine is placed in the left of the frame, still clutching the metal bars(very closed frame, Antoine looks at bay), looking into the distance toward the bright lights of what looks to be a public attraction of sorts. In addition, Antoine’s body and face are blurred out while the focus is placed onto what is going on outside of the van. The placement of Antoine and the camera focus put on everything but him signifies the loss of Antoine’s innocence, blending him into this new world that is present in the van which contains the evils of society, something he has become a part of. Antoine looks out to his past with a sense of need for the life he had before. This statement is heavily supported by the quote by James Berardinelli in his film review of The 400 Blows, “He has moved into the seedy side of the adult world: petty crime and its associated punishment - being locked in a cage. When he is in jail...” The figures of criminals, police guards, and their batons/guns illustrate the themes of oppression and loss of innocence in Antoine’s little young world.
The nondiegetic music proves to be quite odd at first but upon further reflection I was able to derive a purpose from it. This nondiegetic music sounds innocent, childish, nostalgic, and possibly even joyous? The music contains no negative connotation. This struck me as odd considering the circumstances that were going on in the scene. However the traits of the music (nostalgia, innocence, etc.) used in this scene could represent a reflection upon Antoine’s past and what he could have made of his previous life. As the shot of Antoine’s face fades to a black wall, the audience can associate this with what is to come in Antoine’s life: perpetual sadness and constant disappointment. As the camera pans we begin to see a guard and walls. We do not see Antoine. The hallway is long and narrow. This can represent the oppression of Antoine. As an audience we only see the cowering figure of the guard who is the embodiment of all that is left in Antoine’s world: authoritarianism.
-Adil Kadwa
ReplyDeleteThe 400 Blows is a 1959 French drama film, by director François Truffaut. It is one of the defining films of the French New Wave. The film is about Antoine Doinel, a misunderstood adolescent in Paris who is thought by his parents and teachers to be a troublemaker. He is truly only trying to find freedom, but in the final sequence we are shown that this may not even be what he really wants.
The last shot of The 400 Blows is a famous one. After escaping from the reform school, Antoine keeps running until he reaches the ocean. On the beach, he heads straight for the water. This evokes the questions of ; Is there freedom out in the waves? Or could it be suicidal and him just being done with life? Neither, questions are truly appropriate though. Antoine's face is almost blank. He is drawn by the metaphor of the freedom of the water and the waves, but driven by impulse as he abruptly leaves his soccer game. Antoine actually stops before going into the water. He stops and turns, like he was called, and looks directly at the camera.
We are left to ponder Antoine's expression. It's ambiguous. It leaves an impression on us that he has had some kind of epiphany moment at last. He has reached his destination, and peered out into the openness and realized there is no where to go from there, only what is behind him. He has his freedom, but it lacks definition. He might have escaped what he felt was holding him back, but now it's up to him to make something of himself.
Cinematically, this meaning is emphasized. As he runs to the ocean, the camera captures everything that he is running past and leaving behind with a juxtaposition of shots, showing that he is leaving behind his past and heading towards the world and what it has to offer. The non diegetic sound of his foot steps and what he is stepping on adds suspense in a sense where the only motive here is to escape and the sound represents what h is focusing on and makes us focus on that as well. When he reaches the beach, the camera is shooting him from a slightly far distance so that he seems to be free within the frame. This emphasizes his freedom from society and how he is finally “liberated” from what had originally been weighing him down and holding him back, society’s expectations and requirements of him. But, when he reaches the water, the camera freeze frames on him and the expression on his face. He slowly becomes bigger within the frame until the audience is forced to question whether Antoine has truly made the right decision and has acquired true freedom and new opportunities, or whether he has just met another barrier by running into a “dead end”.
One of the scenes that stood out most to me within The 400 Blows was the ending scene, of course. As Doinel escapes from the observation center or whatever it happens to be called in the film, we see the culmination of not only Doinel’s dream of reaching the ocean, but also the obvious question that comes after seeing through a dream, the one that never gets asked: What now? Before diving into that, however, let’s discuss the previous sequence. After busting out of the center through a hole in the fence, a shot that represents Doinel’s “Breaking Free” from the things that prevent him for achieving true freedom, we see a lot of Doinel running, as he is obviously still trying to evade capture. He runs through, initially, very wooded areas – a forest, surrounded by shrubbery and other such crowding thing. As he gets closer to the beach, however, the shots become much emptier, devoid of anything other than Doinel. As This, in context, represents not only his getting closer to his ultimate goal – the beach and, by extension, freedom – but also the emptiness and hollowness that accompanies that freedom, the loneliness Doinel feels throughout the entire story. Well he really wants to be free, I would argue that the only thing he truly wants is to be loved – to not be continually ignored for a change. One of the centerpiece shots of the sequence is an extremely long tracking shot that follows Doinel as he passes small houses and greenery, as he runs along the side of the road. The shot perfectly indicates to us the extent of Doinel’s determination; he is not going to be recaptured, he is going to get away, to have the freedom he so desperately wants (although I would argue that in general context of the movie, he only really wants attention). It is a long shot, and it seems almost like it goes on forever – much Doinel’s journey. When we finally get to the beach, Doinel realizes that he now has absolutely zero idea what he is to do with his life –feelings perfectly illustrated by the last shot, his expression anxious and pained, completely alone on the lonely beach.
ReplyDeleteAnother thing that is extremely important during this scene is the music. Well the rest of the film has its fair share of music, the last couple shots lack any sort of non-diegetic sound. Instead, we hear only the crack and crunch of Doinel’s footsteps as he runs. Not only does it force us to pay attention to the action, it truly drives home the loneliness and isolation Doinel feels – he is completely alone during the last couple shots, and even the music has ignored him. As the shots become sparser and barer themselves, the music is gone as well, and it helps to perfectly emulate and convey how Doinel feels. You can almost hear his pain in each snap and crunch of every broken twig. As James Berardinelli says in his review, Antoine is “A victim of circumstances, framed by neglect”.
The 400 Blows is a film by Francois Truffaut which is about a young boy who is known by his parents and school teachers for causing trouble. This movie can be seen as a way to express the problems young men have going from childhood to adulthood. The one scene that really drew my attention was when Antoine was at the amusement park and he got on a ride that spun round and round and made him stick to the wall because of the gravity effect. This scene shows how Antoine may feel small or vulnerable in the world by the switching from different camera angles. The scene starts out with a high angle shot of Antoine spinning around on the ride, then switches to a low angle shot of a bunch of older characters standing above him looking down on him. Once the ride starts to spin the camera stops for a minute showing both the people watching Antoine, and the people in the ride with Antoine. The scene starts cutting back and forth between the spinning ride and the people watching the ride, the speed of the changing shots may be symbolizing a baffling situation. That situation being how Antoine feels in his life, he may be feeling astray and doesn’t know what to do in his life because there are so many directions he can take but he doesn’t know which one. To add to this matter, while the ride is spinning, Antoine also spins himself upside down so hes stuck to the wall upside down. This could be signifying Antoine’s confusion even further, he could be seeing his life turning upside down and not the way he wants it to be.
ReplyDeleteWhen Antoine finally starts to fix his positioning on the spinning ride, his head keeps getting pulled back and he bumps his head on the wall he’s suppose to be sticking to. The camera then returns to jumping back and forth between Antoine and the high angled crowd. This might be the director's way of trying to show the audience Antoine if trying to find out who he is and find his place in society but he can’t do that because he feels that he’s turning into something different because of all the pressure being put on him by the people around him such as his family and friends. I chose this scene because it was easily demonstrated that Antoine is having trouble finding his place in society and that was compared to how he acted on the spinning ride and how the shots were taken.
Robert Ebert’s quote “between past and future” can easily be paired up with Antoine’s character by the way Francois orders the shots and the angles he took the shots at. Mixing them all up and putting it all together in one amusement park scene and showing Antoine’s emotions toward life by complicating the view of the amusment park scene.
The 400 Blows is a film by Francois Truffaut which is about a young boy who is known by his parents and school teachers for causing trouble. This movie can be seen as a way to express the problems young men have going from childhood to adulthood. The one scene that really drew my attention was when Antoine was at the amusement park and he got on a ride that spun round and round and made him stick to the wall because of the gravity effect. This scene shows how Antoine may feel small or vulnerable in the world by the switching from different camera angles. The scene starts out with a high angle shot of Antoine spinning around on the ride, then switches to a low angle shot of a bunch of older characters standing above him looking down on him. Once the ride starts to spin the camera stops for a minute showing both the people watching Antoine, and the people in the ride with Antoine. The scene starts cutting back and forth between the spinning ride and the people watching the ride, the speed of the changing shots may be symbolizing a baffling situation. That situation being how Antoine feels in his life, he may be feeling astray and doesn’t know what to do in his life because there are so many directions he can take but he doesn’t know which one. To add to this matter, while the ride is spinning, Antoine also spins himself upside down so hes stuck to the wall upside down. This could be signifying Antoine’s confusion even further, he could be seeing his life turning upside down and not the way he wants it to be.
ReplyDeleteWhen Antoine finally starts to fix his positioning on the spinning ride, his head keeps getting pulled back and he bumps his head on the wall he’s suppose to be sticking to. The camera then returns to jumping back and forth between Antoine and the high angled crowd. This might be the director's way of trying to show the audience Antoine if trying to find out who he is and find his place in society but he can’t do that because he feels that he’s turning into something different because of all the pressure being put on him by the people around him such as his family and friends. I chose this scene because it was easily demonstrated that Antoine is having trouble finding his place in society and that was compared to how he acted on the spinning ride and how the shots were taken.
Robert Ebert’s quote “between past and future” can easily be paired up with Antoine’s character by the way Francois orders the shots and the angles he took the shots at. Mixing them all up and putting it all together in one amusement park scene and showing Antoine’s emotions toward life by complicating the view of the amusment park scene.