François Truffaut The 400 Blows

(aka 'The 400 Blows')

France 1959

Calling The 400 Blows a "coming-of-age story" seems somehow inadequate. The label, while accurate, does not indicate either the uniqueness or the cinematic importance of this motion picture. These days, the average coming-of-age story tends to be a lightweight affair, often tinged with nostalgia and rarely perceptive. Such is not the case with The 400 Blows, which takes an uncompromising, non-judgmental look at several key events in the life of a teenage boy. With all of the melodrama leeched out, we are able to view and understand the factors that shape his present and the direction of his future.

The title, Les quatre cent coups is literally translated as The 400 Blows; however, since it's an idiom, a direct translation is imperfect. The phrase loosely means "Raising Hell", and, while that's not an English interpretation, it's a reasonable approximation. The 400 Blows sounds like a movie about violence and abuse, or (if you're thinking in sexual terms) something salacious. When the film opened in the late '50s, more than a few viewers were treated to an entirely different experience from what they expected. (A widely circulated, possibly apocryphal story says that the Weinstein brothers attended this movie expecting a sex flick. They were so astounded by what they saw that their entire perspective on cinema changed, eventually leading them to found Miramax.)

The 400 Blows is the debut outing for celebrated French director François Truffaut, who arrived in the filmmaking arena after taking a detour through film criticism. (During the years when he wrote for André Bazin's "Cahiers du Cinéma," Truffaut developed a reputation as being an acerbic, unforgiving critic.) Along with Godard, Rohmer, Malle, Vadim, and Chabrol (amongst others), Truffaut was one of the founding auteurs of the French "New Wave" cinema - a philosophy that sought to enliven the Gaelic motion picture industry by taking bold chances and telling personal stories. The 400 Blows became one of the first and most influential of the French New Wave films (it was released around the same time as Godard's Breathless), and, as such, was at the vanguard of a movement that had a worldwide impact on movie-making for more than a decade.

Excerpt from ReelViews (James Berardinelli) review located HERE

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DVD Comparison:

Mk2 (France) Region 2 - PAL vs. Criterion (Doinel Boxset version) - Region 0 - NTSC vs. Criterion (Out of Print) - Region 0 - NTSC

Big thanks to Ole of DVDBasen for the PAL Screen Caps!

(Mk2 -France-Region 2- PAL - LEFT vs. Criterion Boxset-new - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE vs. Criterion 'Out of Print'-old - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)

DVD Box Covers	or the 12-disc Boxset here:
Distribution	Mk2 (France) Region 2 - PAL	Criterion Collection - Spine #5 Region 0 - NTSC	Criterion Collection - Spine #5 Region 0 - NTSC
(click titles for DVDBeaver reviews) Criterion (without the extras) also available in The Essential Art House - 50 Years of Janus Films - a 50-disc celebration of international films collected under the auspices of the groundbreaking theatrical distributor. It contains Alexander Nevsky (1938), Ashes And Diamonds (1958), L'avventura (1960), Ballad Of A Soldier (1959), Beauty And The Beast (1946), Black Orpheus (1959), Brief Encounter (1945), The Fallen Idol (1948), Fires On The Plain (1959), Fists In The Pocket (1965), Floating Weeds (1959), Forbidden Games (1952), The 400 Blows (1959), Grand Illusion (1937), Häxan (1922), Ikiru (1952), The Importance Of Being Earnest (1952), Ivan The Terrible, Part II (1958), Le Jour Se Lève (1939), Jules And Jim (1962), Kind Hearts And Coronets (1949), Knife In The Water (1962), The Lady Vanishes (1938), The Life And Death Of Colonel Blimp (1943), Loves Of A Blonde (1965), M (1931), M. Hulot's Holiday (1953), Miss Julie (1951), Pandora's Box (1929), Pépé Le Moko (1937), Il Posto (1961), Pygmalion (1938), Rashomon (1950), Richard III (1955), The Rules Of The Game (1939), Seven Samurai (1954), The Seventh Seal (1957), The Spirit Of The Beehive (1973), La Strada (1954), Summertime (1955), The Third Man (1949), The 39 Steps (1935), Ugetsu (1953), Umberto D. (1952), The Virgin Spring (1960), Viridiana (1961), The Wages Of Fear (1953), The White Sheik (1952), Wild Strawberries (1957), Three Documentaries By Saul J. Turell plus the hardcover, full color 240-page book.
Runtime	1:35:25 (4% PAL speedup)	1:39:27	1:39:21
Video	2.35:1.00 Original Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 5.35 mb/s PAL 720x576 25.00 f/s	2.26 slightly cropped 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 6.29 mb/s NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s	2.05:1 Original Aspect Ratio Average Bitrate: 5.15 NTSC 704x480 29.97 f/s
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes
Bitrate: Mk2
Bitrate: Criterion new
Bitrate: Criterion old
Audio	French (Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono)	French (Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono)	French (Dolby Digital 1.0)
Subtitles	English, and none	English, and none	English and none
Features	Release Information: Studio: Mk2 (France) Theatrical Release Date: November 16, 1959 Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Widescreen anamorphic Edition Details: Bonus : • Présentation du film par Serge Toubiana • Le film commenté par Robert Lachenay, ami d'enfance de François Truffaut • Chapitrage du commentaire • Bouts d'essai des comédiens (Jean-Pierre Léaud, Patrick Auffay et Richard Kanayan) (1958) • Portrait de François Truffaut (1961) • Jean-Pierre Léaud au festival de Cannes (1959) • "Les mistons" : court métrage de François Truffaut présenté par Serge Toubiana et commenté par Claude de Givray • Format plein écran et cinémascope DVD Release Date: February 20th, 2002 Keep Case Chapters 20	Release Information: Studio: Home Vision Entertainment / Criterion Collection Theatrical Release Date: November 16, 1959 Aspect Ratio: 2.26:1 Widescreen anamorphic Edition Details (from Doinel Boxset): • Black & White, Color, Widescreen, Box set • Includes: The 400 Blows, Antoine and Colette, Stolen Kisses, Bed and Board, and Love on the Run • Audio commentary on The 400 Blows by film scholar Brian Stonehill • Audio commentary on The 400 Blows by Truffaut's lifelong friend Robert Lachenay • Les Mistons (1957), Truffaut's 18-minute short • Audio commentary for Les Mistons by then assistant director and future writing collaborator Claude de Givray • Introduction to Les Mistons by Truffaut historian Serge Toubiana • Rare audition footage of cast members from The 400 Blows • Newsreel footage of Jean-Pierre Leaud at the Cannes Film Festival in 1959 • Portrait de Truffaut (1961), a 25-minute documentary about Truffaut • Introduction to Stolen Kisses by film historian Serge Toubiana • Archival newsreel footage of the "Langlois Affair" • Newsreel footage of Truffaut's impassioned rally to shut down the 1968 Cannes Film Festival in support of striking students and workers • Promotional spot featuring Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut appealing for public support of Henri Langlois • Rare footage of Truffaut and co-writer Bernard Revon discussing their notes • Interview footage of Truffaut speaking about Antoine Doinel and the decision to continue the Doinel series with Stolen Kisses • Interview footage of Truffaut discussing the entire Doinel cycle • Excerpt from a 1979 TV show featuring Truffaut • Theatrical trailers for The 400 Blows, Stolen Kisses, Bed and Board, and Love on the Run • Booklet featuring Truffaut's writings, notes, script treatments, interviews with Truffaut, and more • Widescreen anamorphic format • Number of discs: 5 DVD Release Date: April 29, 2003 Slip Case in the 'Antoine Doinel Boxset' Chapters 23	Release Information: Studio: Home Vision Entertainment / Criterion Collection Theatrical Release Date: November 16, 1959 Aspect Ratio: Widescreen letterbox - 2.05:1 Edition Details: • All Regions • Black & White, Dolby, Widescreen • Commentary by English audio commentary by film scholar Brian Stonehill • Commentary by Additional audio commentaries by co-screenwriter Marcel Moussy & and François Truffaut's lifelong friend Robert Lachenay • Theatrical trailer(s) • Newly restored widescreen digital transfer • New subtitle adaptation • Widescreen letterbox format DVD Release Date: March 31, 1998 Keep Case Chapters 25

Comments:

The new "The 400 Blows" from the Antoine Doinel Criterion Box set appears to be slightly horizontally (in comparison to the old Criterion) and vertically cropped (compared to the Mk2). The contrast of the new Criterion is far superior to the old 'Out of Print' version but on a par with the Mk2. Most noticeable to me is how the faces of the new Criterion version are fatter and in the old Criterion version they look slimmer. This is similar to the 'Jules and Jim' controversy we had in the comparison of the Mk2 vs. the Fox Lorber. Sharpness goes in a slight edge to the newest Criterion over the Mk2 - PAL. All in all, these three editions are not totally dissimilar, with nice extras on each. Be happy with whatever you have and if you don't have any, buy the Criterion Boxset.

- Gary W. Tooze

DVD Menus

(Mk2 -France-Region 2- PAL - LEFT vs. Criterion Boxset-new - Region 0 - NTSC - MIDDLE vs. Criterion 'Out of Print'-old - Region 0 - NTSC - RIGHT)

Screen Captures

To adequately see the aspect ratio manipulation of the Criterions please put your mouse over the following image. The initial image is from the new boxset, the appearing image when moused-over is from the 'Out of Print' version. I can assure you that this is the very first frame after visibly seeing the game board while Antoine is locked up. It is a huge difference!