THE 400 BLOWS –
blow by blow
THE 400 BLOWS analysis
I did the same thing I do every time I’m confused by a film’s status. I wrote down everything that happened in the story and tried to identify any particular themes.
Looking at the bigger picture, I wondered what themes were in Jules et Jim. Was there anything similar?
Antoine’s mother was incapable of steadfast love to a boy who craved it.
Moreau’s love was similarly deficient when an unbeguiled boy-man offered her his complete fidelity (Jules et Jim).
Unfaithfulness is a condition we all know is a single step away, from either party despite our pledge.
THE 400 BLOWS 1959
JULES ET JIM 1962
I was wrecked last night at 6. 30pm but I woke up at 5. 30am today and was back into doing everything. At 5. 30 I set my youngest, the Beckster, up with her Netflix Kids’ program, and continued reading John Baxter’s book on Kubrick, including the end of his account of making A Clockwork Orange and everything before and after and about making Barry Lyndon.
At 8. 45 the girls and I went out for breakfast at a local shop Ali likes. My poached eggs were 5% runny and 95% set. Not a fan of that. I can cook them so they’re runny myself, so that’s a disappointment. Mind you, I don’t how to make it runny without a 3-minute timer.
At midday I started watching The 400 Blows and then I edited my own 4K video footage for 4 hours. Then my wife and Beckaroo went out for a couple of hours and I watched Jules et Jim from 4. 30pm. Then I went to Lane Cove library at 8pm and returned 400 and Jules and borrowed Don’t Shoot, The Last Metro and another five Truffaut titles.
I got home in time to watched the last episode of The People v O. J. Simpson episode on Netflix. It was well done. Not overcooked, and not rare.
