When The 400 Blows last screened locally, I wrote: “Along with Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless (1960), François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows (1959) is perhaps the cornerstone of French New Wave cinema. It’s more straightforward as filmmaking than Godard’s film, but its lack of much in the way of a dramatic narrative makes it even more experimental in other areas. The film — autobiographical in nature — simply follows a stretch of life of troubled schoolboy Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud). We track his life through his increasing difficulty with his school and his parents up to a point that can either be read as the moment of his rebirth/coming-of-age or as the point where he has run out of places to run. It may just be an expression of both since the latter realization might well mark a coming-of-age. Along the way, we also learn about his interest in going to the movies and his growing passion for the writer Honoré de Balzac. (Those familiar with Noah Baumbach’s 2005 film The Squid and the Whale will recognize a variant on the Balzac-plagiarism business that underscores Truffaut’s influence.)”
Full review here: http://avl.mx/p0
Classic World Cinema by Courtyard Gallery will present The 400 Blows Friday, Jan. 11 at 8 p.m. at Phil Mechanic Studios, 109 Roberts St., River Arts District, upstairs in the Railroad Library). Info: 273-3332, www.ashevillecourtyard.com
Before you comment
The comments section is here to provide a platform for civil dialogue on the issues we face together as a local community. Xpress is committed to offering this platform for all voices, but when the tone of the discussion gets nasty or strays off topic, we believe many people choose not to participate. Xpress editors are determined to moderate comments to ensure a constructive interchange is maintained. All comments judged not to be in keeping with the spirit of civil discourse will be removed and repeat violators will be banned. See here for our terms of service. Thank you for being part of this effort to promote respectful discussion.