1. The 400 Blows (Les quatre cents coups); movie review
THE 400 BLOWS (LES QUATRE CENTS COUPS)
Cert PG
99 mins
BBFC advice: Contains occasional mild language
The boy barely flinched as the piece of chalk arrowed past his ear.
Children were passive as they were shoved in the back or slapped across the face by adults using full force.
Modern audiences may well look on with incredulity at the way in which school-life is represented in François Truffaut's The 400 Blows.
But if French schools had similar discipline regimes to British ones, I can vouch for its accuracy.
Indeed, sometimes, my friends will drift into conversation about the brutality of teachers at our school, believing that some actually enjoyed inflicting pain.
Mrs W and I went to the same primary school in which the maths teacher's favourite punishment aid was a slipper.
He used to hit children as young as seven with it.
The 400 Blows brought back many memories of childhood although, thankfully, we lived in much more caring homes than its hero, Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud).
Living with his feckless mother (Claire Maurier) and erratic step-father (Albert Rémy) is akin to stepping through a field of landmines.
It is very rare for him to make it though the night without a verbal or physical explosion.
Poor Antoine has to live by his wits and thus he finds himself in deeper and deeper trouble with his parents, teachers and, subsequently, the authorities.
Fortunately, he does find friendship. His best pal (Patrick Auffay) stays resolutely on his side.
The 400 Blows gives a multi-dimensional presentation on how difficult it was to be a child in France in 1959.
The Second World War is not mentioned but was only 14 years previously and the country and its scarred people were still emerging from the gloom.
Maybe that is why Truffaut's film is shot in almost permanent dusk to a gloomy score.
Anyway, this was a hugely promising first picture for the future king of the French New Wave and was also the springboard for Léaud's long career.
Its return to the big screen next week, gave us an excuse to catch up with a piece of work which was truly groundbreaking in its day.
* A new celebration of one of the most influential filmmakers of his generation, film critic-turned-director, François Truffaut (1932-1984), will take place across the UK from January to February 2022.
Reasons to watch: The springboard for Truffaut's career
Reasons to avoid: It is a tad repetitive
Laughs: One
Jumps: None
Vomit: None
Nudity: None
Overall rating: 8/10
The final word. François Truffaut: "For me in any event, childhood is a series of painful memories. Childhood seemed like such a hard phase of life; you’re not allowed to make any mistakes." The New Yorker
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