To know the plot of 400 Blows we first need to understand what the title represents. This title is a direct translation of the French phrase, "(faire) Les Quatre Cents Coups", this idiom means: to raise hell. The film focuses on a mischievous schoolboy with aa less than perfect living environment. As Antoine's parents grow apart his actions grow increasingly rebellious. He misbehaves in class, skips school with a friend, and lies to his teachers. The film made sure to introduce Antoine with less than suitable clothing to show that he was raised in a lower social class. His friend appears to be wearing nicer and more suitable clothing. As we find out later in the film His friend is the opposite of himself.
While Antoine grew up in a negligent home with parents in the middle of a shaky relationship, his friend grew up in a supportive household with parents in a strong relationship. This makes the viewer wonder how two vastly different individuals resort to the same mischievous actions in order to rebel. It also makes the audience wonder why a boy with a healthy home and relationship with his parents would misbehave. Most of these rebellious acts often are related to that of school. The boys misbehave throughout class by making inappropriate gestures behind the teacher, not paying attention, and they even skip school entirely. As the boys skip school Antoine happens to see his mother cheating on his father. The story continues to unravel as more and more bad things happen to Antoine until eventually, he is sent off to a military boarding school. Turns out this school is on an island, preventing him from leaving. This forced trip to boarding school is what puts an end to his shenanigans.
The first scene of this story opened with a random student in class pulling out a somewhat explicit photo of a woman on a calendar. As this photo is passed around the class from boy to boy, our main character decides to hold on to it for a little while longer and draw something on it. As he finishes his drawing and goes to hand off the photo the teacher catches him and calls him up to his desk. Suspense and tension are built from the audience expecting Antoine to be punished; the slow walk toward the desk accentuates this feeling.
In a later scene we see why Antoine rebelled so often; his abusive and neglective parents. This scene starts off with him and his stepfather conversing about a missing guide-book. Antoine says he doesn't know where it is and his stepfather yells at him for "lying". Antoine maintains that it wasn't him, so Mr. Doinel eventually agrees, after some more yelling, to ask his mother. Antoine, unable to fall asleep, begins to hear his parents arguing in the other room. Mr. Doinel suspects that she is having an affair (which was witnessed firsthand by Antoine earlier in the film) and then begins arguing about Antoine. His mother ends the argument by screaming that they should send Antoine to an orphanage. So much impact in this scene from shots of Antoine in the dark and his parents in the light, yet still hidden behind a wall. The dark is supposed to simulate negative feelings and feelings of isolation, which increase as the scene darkens through the clip. The music in the background seemed to increase in pace as the horrible news of being sent to an orphanage is mentioned. The film was extremely interesting and the experience of going to the theater was a fantastic decision and I would do it again.
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