‘The 400 Blows’ to be screened tomorrow

Islamabad: The Pakistan National Council of the Arts in collaboration with the Embassy of France and Alliance Francais, brings Director Francois Truffaut's ‘The 400 Blows’ for screening at PNCA Lecture Hall on September 26 at 7 p.m.

Before we go on to ‘The 400 Blows’, it would be relevant to know about Truffaut and French New Wave . Truffaut already a well-known film critic and historian, made his directorial debut in 1959 with ‘The 400 Blows’ and this was the beginning of New French Wave along with film critic-director Godard and many other young distinguished film directors.

Truffaut (1932-1984) was a remarkable director who devoted his entire life to films. He left behind 21 films(‘Stolen Kisses’, ‘Bed and Board’, ‘Day for Night’, ‘Last Metro’, ‘Love on the Run’). His film work was based on Auteur Theory where director is writer of the film. The New Wave treated film as an art form and director as artist. The director here became author using camera as ‘Pen’ to tell the story. It rejected the notion that screenwriter was the author. The New wave ingredients included art, realism, filming on location with low budget and new faces where much was improvised. This also happened earlier with Italian Neo Realism in late-forties. Truffaut also made short films, completed film scripts and wrote a book on Alfred Hitchcock based on his long interviews with the master of suspense.

If somebody wants to look at the New French Wave, one has to watch ‘The 400 Blows’. Apart from worldwide critical acclaim, the film won prestigious Best Director Award for Truffaut at Cannes International Film Festival. It deals with a thirteen year old child who lives with his mother and stepfather. Both the parents rarely stay at home. The child is misunderstood by parents and everyone at school. He misses school and comes out with excuses of being sick or death of his mother(The mother actually does visit the school).

‘The 400 Blows’ is largely autobiographical and Truffaut went through the same difficult childhood and adolescence. The original title of the film suggests raising hell and the child does raise hell but his innocence and curiosity comes first. The film has its style and innovation and still looks fresh after sixty years because it carries personal stamp of Truffaut. The is what new French wave and ‘The 400 Blows’ is all about.

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