Coming of Age Films—The 400 Blows

Writing in a genre means that you really have to do your homework and know that genre. One of the fun things about that for the writer is that you’re obligated to watch films in the genre. If you haven’t seen The 400 Blows [1959], screenplay by François Truffaut with adaptation by Marcel Moussy, you need to watch it. And if you’re able to get your hands on the Criterion edition, the commentary is amazing.

As it’s a French film, unless you speak the language you’ll have to read the subtitles. Let me take this moment to encourage you to do just that. We live in a world where so many languages are spoken, and so many artists are creating in their own language, as you’d expect. To limit yourself to watching films that are in English is to cut out a world full of creativity. Imagine what you’ll miss if you don’t watch films from the creators who don’t happen to speak your language.

Interestingly, The 400 Blows kicked off what was called the French New Wave to combat this tunnel vision. This was a movement that began in France as a reaction to “Hollywood” movies. The New Wave was saying that film should reflect life and Hollywood painted too rosy a picture, and too narrow a picture. Truffaut and other French filmmakers felt that the average person’s life was worth exploring, that cultures other than those that were English-speaking were worth exploring.

Take a look at a trailer for the film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p5Sa1-fpKSc

Did you see the elements that are normally in a coming of age film? In this case, it’s a kid who feels disenfranchised, who feel his parents find him a burden, who acts out by stealing things, and as you can see from the shot where someone turns his face, he’s become a juvenile delinquent—and is put in the French version of a reform school of sorts.

You really feel for this kid as his story unfolds—and as a writer, that’s what you’re looking for. You need to create a character who is struggling to make his/her way as they navigate the world. And that means, perhaps, tapping into your OWN childhood. Even if it was pretty perfect, all kids and teens have some difficulty growing up. Did you? Could you take something from your childhood and flesh it out into a fictional story? That’s exactly what Truffaut did when creating The 400 Blows—use his own childhood to portray the struggles of youth.

Next week we’ll look at a film from the ‘60s that’s not about a kid, but about a college grad who has no idea what to do with his life—and his rich parents aren’t any help. It’s a little film called The Graduate.

Copyright © Diane Lake

09May21

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