FEAR AND WONDER 153
as it is felt, in all its agony,
uncertainty, joy, and heartlessness.
The movie’s enigmatic English title
comes from the French phrase
faire les quatre cents coups, which
mean “to raise hell,” which Antoine
certainly does. He doesn’t steal
the typewriter so he can use it—
he plans to sell it and finance his
escape from Paris. Truffaut is
unafraid to color his protagonist
as a mercenary as well as a lover
of literature.
When Antoine has second
thoughts about the theft, he
attempts to return the typewriter,
but is caught. His stepfather
(Albert Rémy) decides to hand
him over to the police, and the
boy spends a night in a jail cell
with prostitutes and thieves.
The police take a mug shot,
and the movie freezes for
the instant in which the
photograph—and Antoine—
are captured. “Around here to
escape is bad enough,” says
an inmate at the institution to
which Antoine is eventually sent,
“but getting caught is worse.”
Truffaut mirrors this freeze-
frame with the movie’s final shot,
which captures Antoine in theWhat else to watch: À bout de souffle (1960, pp.166–67) ■ Shoot the Piano Player (1960) ■ Jules et Jim (1962, p.334) ■
The Wild Child (1970) ■ Two English Girls (1971) ■ Day for Night (1973) ■ The Story of Adele H. (1975) ■ Small Change (1976)Antoine
is caught
as he tries
to return the
typewriter he
stole from his
stepfather’s
workplace.00:05
Antoine is held back after
class when he is caught with a
picture of a girl. At the end of
the day, he swears he’ll take his
revenge on the teacher.00:35
Antoine’s parents turn
up at school after he has
lied to the teacher about
his mother having died.
His stepfather slaps him.
He decides to run away.01:07
After stealing a
typewriter from Antoine’s
stepfather’s workplace,
Antoine and René try
unsuccessfully to pawn it.01:24
After a discussion
with the judge, Antoine’s
mother agrees to send
him to a detention center
for three months.00:25
While playing hooky
with his best friend René,
Antoine sees his mother
kissing a man in the street.00:54
In French class, Antoine
is accused of plagiarizing
Balzac. He is sent to see
the principal, but runs off
to hide out at René’s house.00:00 00:15 00:30 00:45 01:00 01:15 01:3801:15
Antoine is locked up
in a police holding cell
after his stepfather turns
him in to the police.
He is fingerprinted
and photographed.01:35
While the boys
are playing soccer,
Antoine escapes from
the detention center.Minute by minute
act of escaping. He heads for the
sea, which he has never seen, and
runs down country roads until he
arrives at the beach. The camera,
like the boy, is constantly moving,
keeping track of his flight. Antoine
sprints into the surf, dips his toe inthe ocean, then turns back to the
land and looks straight into the
camera. Truffaut freezes the image
and zooms in on Antoine’s face.
It is a bold and ambiguous
period at the end of the first chapter
in Antoine’s life (Truffaut would ❯❯We’ll put him in an orphanage
so I can have some peace!
Gilberte Doinel / The 400 Blows