The film was more akin to a collection of moving paintings than what I’ve grown to believe a movie is. The camera often holds on a particular image, be it the shamed looks Antoine directs towards his cheating mother, the rejected sadness of him behind bars, or the final, frozen frame of him that seems to ask “Why?” Using this form, I believe Francois seeks to imprint upon us h

is overall theme. We’re made to remember these scenes, for them to be stamped on our emotions, casting their influence over our understanding of the film.

There are a few scenes scattered through the film that seem a touch more upbeat, when the family goes to the movies after Antoine’s burning of his cabinet, for example. To me, these scenes had a false ring to them; they seemed hollow. In truth, I believe they were used to further emphasize the bleakness of Doniel’s life. The shadows seem much darker under the flicker of a candle.

Truffaut ends his film with a five minute scene of Antoine running, running, running away. At first we might believe that he’s running away from the military academy to which he’d been sent. However, instead of taking refuge somewhere, Antoine merely goes to the sea, splashing around a bit in the waters. At first, I interpreted this as Francois’ suggestion of hope. After all, it’s mentioned in parts of the film that Antoine enjoys the water. After reflection, however, I don’t believe Truffaut intended that at all. In the final frame of Antoine’s face I saw a question. A questio

Some topics in this essay:
World Wars, Hollywood Truffaut’s, , Hidden Dragon, French Wave, French French, running running, les 400 coups, believe francois, french french, les 400, 400 coups, uncaring world,