400 Blows Critical Essay

1028 Words5 Pages
This film connects very well with the classic story of the boy who cried wolf. Antoine develops through his actions a bad reputation for lying and misbehaving. Given chance after chance to change he often times does not, However the one time he does change in which he prepares for an upcoming essay and does well. He is not given a break and is accused of cheating which is the turning point for the film because it shows that Antoine has given up and accepted this label that has been placed on him. The final still shot is of Antoine on the beach after escaping from the correctional institution his parents placed him at after stealing the typewriter. This shot is symbolic because earlier in the film Antoine always expressed going to the beach because he’s never been. I believe this is the one time in Antoine’s life in which he feels completely free from expectation of his family and France. The whole film after the establishing shot of Paris until the very end leads up to explain why Antoine is at the beach. Ultimately I can’t say there is one specific person who is responsible for why Antoine ends up on the beach. Rather though a combination of people in Antoine’s life including himself and also France’s values and expectation of their children. His teacher is the primary force for trying to instill the importance of being a good person for the fatherland. Throughout the film he lectures Antoine about how he disgraces France or how he will fail to be a part of France’s society. This puts a lot of pressure on Antoine as he starts to change into a better person because he knows his teacher has an extra eye on him and even if he messes up on more time he will not be forgiven. Antoine is also a primary factor to why he ends up alone on the beach. Throughout the film he is constantly taking part in a number of deviant actions from stealing and lying. It’s very apparent

More about 400 Blows Critical Essay

Open Document