The Four Hundred Blows (DVD)

The Four Hundred Blows (1959), directed by Francois Truffaut. In black and white, French with English subtitles. The cast of this film will be unrecognizable to the vast majority of Americans. In the movie, an adolescent Parisian boy is neglected by his parents, acts up in school, and turns to a life of petty crime. He doesn't get very far, and his parents turn him over to the care of the state. I think this is meant to be a commentary on society, but since it's French society, maybe something was lost in translation. I was very involved in the story, but the ending seemed a little flat. Grade: B