Browsing through Letterboxd, I noticed a film had been watched recently by the one and only @vincentnijman. Now I trust this man's film taste, and with it being quite a while now since I saw an old black and white film, my interest instantly piqued. A while back I was a bit addicted to such films, roaming through the films of Italy's neorealism era, to the beautiful films of Spain. Indulging in the international cinema of bygone decades. I love doing this, but I have noticed that I have to be in a specific mood to really appreciate them. And with such a break from these old black and white films, I was really excited to watch The 400 Blows, a French film from the late 1950s. I read up briefly on the synopsis and knew this would be a film would would heavily resonate with me. Vincent, you've done it again. You've given some great recommendations without even knowing! Well, The 400 Blows is to no surprise part of the Criterion Collection, so if you find yourself curious about it either before or after this review, it should be quite easy for you to find. Some even consider this to be one of the best films ever made, which came as a surprise to me given I had never heard of it before. Having spent countless hours in the past glaring into the lists of old black and white films from all nations I could find.
There's something about these older films which give focus on the poverty of these times. The struggles people faced as a result of the post-war environment. While there was an economic boom that followed in many nations once the war ended, many areas were deprived, still holding the scars of the war. Lost generations, broken families, locations void of direction as its inhabitants are left trying to find a life in a space of constant decay and hardships. A favourite of mine that comes to mind with this is Bicycle Thieves, a film that shows the struggles of a father and his son as the attempt to return a stolen bicycle that the family heavily relies on to make the money they need to survive. Something as a simple as a bicycle being their lifeline in how they pay the bills and put food on the table. In this high technology era it's hard to imagine a life like this, while there are still many signs of poverty throughout the nations, it's a difficulty to portray the true signs of struggle with so many luxuries now available to most. Could you really imagine a bicycle being the very thing between life in a home and life out on the streets? And this is what makes such films so powerful, such engaging narratives that pull on the heart.
I knew I'd be getting a similar experience with The 400 Blows. And the truth is, I haven't had a film experience quite like that since.
The 400 Blows
Straight from the start the film gives us a great lesson (no pun intended here) that being a teacher must be an incredibly stressful career to pursue. Though this was not the first thing I noticed. My introduction to this film was immediately appreciating the film grain, the gritty look of old film stock on black and white. Such incredibly beautiful tones of light that drift off into shadow, whites that stand out with a strong intensity. A wide perspective is a result of the 2.35 : 1 aspect ratio which is often used to this day for more cinematic looks, often mixed with the use of anamorphic lenses. A boxed frame that is then stretched out later on in the post-production phase. The 400 Blows looks in part like it does have a bit of an anamorphic look to it. Certain aspects of the backgrounds have very beautiful, smooth bokeh. It's interesting that for a film of this era there's a wider aspect ratio mixed with lenses that offer a shallow depth of field. The case back then was more a smaller aspect ratio that had a more boxed look, in addition to lenses that promoted a higher aperture that didn't blur the backgrounds so much. Reliance on stops above T5.6.
I really appreciated this side of the technical aspects. The film utilising the depth of field in certain environments, showcasing certain characters and pulling them from the backgrounds. In other shots that focus more on establishing environments, we see the aperture open up a bit more, with plenty of detail that allows us to see the beauty of old French cities. I read online that the camera used was a Chevereau Cameras, something I have never heard of, though looking online it revealed that this is quite a chunky camera. More impressive that they focused on cinematography that required camera movement from different angles. Following characters in their movements. Again defying the more established style of fixed perspectives, and less frequent camera movements unless the scene calls for it. I love camera movements that follow characters in their movements, whether it's through an environment or just giving highlight to specific actions they pursue. It gives the scenes more depth, more storytelling as we see the characters engaging in more realistic behaviour that contains the actions of everyday life.
All of this is met with a realistic screenplay that gives attention to the life of a child. Routines and family life that setup a story that shows a relatively normal, healthy environment. Your typical young boy that has a lot of energy but ultimately does well when told. I think scenes like this in which we see families talking over dinner are really effective, important in setting an environment of home life that shows more context to a character. For example this screenplay allows for visual storytelling that creates a healthy life at home, but speaks of one of rather strong poverty. The escape for the boy being engaging in energetic troublemaking both at school and in the streets of Paris. A lot of the home life seems to speak of worse off happenings, however. Primarily witnessing firsthand that his mother is having an affair while avoiding school. Setting the stage for a boy that seeks an escape through avoiding his responsibilities and the reality of his life. At its core it's a story on how an environment can shape a child, how a lack of stability results in an attempt to find belonging and meaning, even if it means diverging down the wrong paths.
It's an incredibly beautiful film, and it's one that looks at the troubled youth with great sympathy, aware of the influences and struggles a family can hold.
