This is a particularly interesting close-up shot from The 400 Blows. This photo is very powerful and gives you a bit of an uneasy feeling. This shot was when Antoine caught his mother kissing another man when skipping school. This shot captures this beautiful woman's thoughts. It is striking to me because she appears sneaky, untrustworthy, and insensitive. Up until this point in the film the mother was very cold to her son and husband. This photo allows you to understand why the family had a difficult relationship at times. The mother does a lot of the blaming on her son, when in reality she is the one at fault. After she sees that her son saw her kiss this man, she tries to bribe him to get good grades. When capturing this shot, Francois Truffaut was very particular in the symbolism he wanted to evoke to the viewers.
On another note, being a woman in 1959 was very difficult. My guess is that this woman felt trapped or unhappy in her marriage. Because it was frowned upon to divorce during this time, the woman fulfills her emptiness in others, even if it breaks morals.
Lauren- I really like the connection that you made between the movie 400 Blows and the specific screenshot from that movie of the mother caught with another man. That scene was definitely a turning point in the film and I don't think it was given enough attention. They move so fast through that scene that it's hard to see the beauty in that shot. I totally agree with you that it shows some background into why the mother acted the way she did in being that she may have been unhappy but didn't have many options afforded to her on how to make herself happy again. Great thoughts!
ReplyDeleteGood job! I thought your post was very well written. I love the description of the close-up shot. It really makes the viewer feel for the boy and his unstable home life. You can see the dramatic expression in the mom's face, as she is caught in the act. I like that you make your own inferences about how the mother is feeling. It is interesting that the director never really tells us how or why she is seeing another man. Is she unhappy? We don't know. I do like that the viewer is allowed to form their own opinion. -Christina Sieb
ReplyDeleteI love how you were honest and raw when talking about Antoine's mom affair. You made a good connection in the film and you tied it together. Which can be very hard to see at first because at times the film did move on fast before you can comprehend what happen..
ReplyDeleteGreat job.
-Onika
Wow this is an amazing set of reflections (and eliciting great comments as well). I like how you connect a technical detail (use of a close-up) with your analysis of the mother's character. You note that Truffaut's use of this shot allows a more complex view of this character. Your comments about being a woman in the 1950s are very insightful.
ReplyDeleteI'm really glad you posted about this particular scene; I also agree with everything that you've said! I think this was a really important part of the film because it gave us more insight into why this character acts the way she does. It's a turning point in the film and changes the family life at home for Antoine. Really good job, Lauren!
ReplyDelete-Amy Wittlieff
I love how you described her based on her facial expressions from this picture. I fell like this shot happened so fast and moved on quickly for how important of a roll this played in letting us in on Antoine's mothers personal life.
ReplyDelete-Rachel Litschauer
I love that you did this blog about Antoine's mother. This blog touched exactly what I wanted to say about Antoine's mother and about that particular scene. Overall, I feel the same way as you too when I saw his mother.
ReplyDelete-Kazoua Lor
It's great how you bring up the mother's drastic change in behavior after this seen. At first I found myself really confused by this sudden change. This scene is really intriguing and I thought that you analyzed its elements very well. One more thing that I would like to comment on is my appreciation of how you considered the historical aspects of this scene; how difficult life sometimes would have been for women caught in an unhappy marriage back then.
ReplyDeleteOops, forgot to add my name! ↑↑↑
Delete-Nicole Burdick
I thought this shot was interesting as well, due to the lack of emotional connection the mother has with anyone in the movie. It seems from the beginning, though, she doesn't really want/need anyone. I agree with you when you say you think she's unhappy, that would provoke her behaviors even more.
ReplyDelete-Amanda Lynn
I'm a little late to the commenting game...I agree with what everyone else has said. Your post is very insightful and fits well into the schematics of movie as a whole. She does seem unhappy and unable to show it in a constructive way, so the affair, though unfortunate for the family, makes sense.
ReplyDelete- Jackie Augustine
I agree with you! The mother was always so cold to him and his father. It did made me wonder why she was like that until this scene, everything else kind of fell into place. It's sad how she put all her frustration and anger upon Antoine when it's her marriage that she's not happy with.
ReplyDelete- Kia Lee