The 400 Blows (Francois Truffaut, 1959)
Number of Lists: 15
Lists Include: Criterion Collection, Ebert's Great Movies, 1950s, imdb250
I think the French New Wave probably just isn't my bag. I liked Melville well enough but my first taste of Goddard and Truffaut have not inspired confidence. In this case maybe I was just mislead about the film. I thought this was going to be a somewhat gritty tale of a kid on the street. What it actually is, is the tale of a spoiled brat living a ragamuffin fantasy. Sure, he comes from a strained home, but he inspires little sympathy. For most of it I don't see what his big beef is with the world that he rebels against and the stakes are rather reduced, it is only when he's merited a certain amount of karmic punishment that the film arbitrarily piles on the emotional context in which you might grant him some sympathy.
This marks completion of catching up with all FS100 films I hadn't seen. I've got five left from past years' lists I intend to watch and a number of rewatches so things will keep going a little while longer.
Rating: 1/5