How Is Antoine Portrayed In The 400 Blows

The 400 Blows is a famous French New Wave Style film directed by François Truffaut in 1959. Inspired by his own childhood experience, Truffaut depicts a misunderstood and troubled adolescent, Antoine Doinel, who shares the same childhood experience with Truffaut and is viewed as a troublemaker by his parents and teachers. Antoine is always bullied and oppressed by authorities(parents, teachers, and state officials). Being an unwanted child in his home and unpopular student in school, he is unhappy and always wants to run away. Antoine quits school after being caught plagiarizing Balzac by his teacher. He even steals a typewriter from his stepfather’s work place to get money after he leaves home because he is afraid of going home. However,

Antoine and other people in the ride begin to fly in the air and have to cling to the wall. The scene keeps shifting from high angle, low angle, and medium close up of Antoine. He looks especially thrilled and really enjoys himself. For a moment, he hung free in the air. This part of the scene keeps shifting from Antoine clinging to the wall and people looking down on him. As the wheel spins faster, the camera swish pans here in order to make actions seem blurred. We feel the same disorientation as Antoine does. He has been viewed as a troublemaker for such a long time. Deep down inside he is not bad person. But he is always misunderstood by his mother, his stepfather, and his teacher. He struggles for so long that he feels so lost inside. There follows a shot in which everything turns upside down. It is in fact Antoine’s point of view shot when he was hung upside down. That’s what truly happens in Antoine’s world: everything is turning upside down. He is confused about what is right and wrong because everything seems wrong and gets too tough in his life. He can’t establish himself in the society. Just like he trying to balance himself in the spinning ride, he tries to do the same thing in his life. But there is not any standing room for him. During the struggle for balance in the ride, he looks so painful. Soon we are reminded again he is just a kid when he smiles again. As the ride spins at a slower rate, we can see from the view of those people who watch above. These adventurers in various positions are like a group of puppet hanging there just to entertain those people