The 400 Blows with Antoine and Colette
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Synopsis
François Truffaut’s first feature is also his most personal. Told through the eyes of Truffaut’s cinematic counterpart, Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud), The 400 Blows sensitively recreates the trials of Truffaut’s own difficult childhood. The film established Truffaut as a trailblazing auteur of the French New Wave.
Picture 7/10
The Criterion Collection upgrades François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows to 4K UHD, presenting the film on a triple-layer disc with a 2160p/24hz ultra high-definition encode and Dolby Vision. The disc also includes the follow-up short, Antoine and Colette, similarly presented in 4K with Dolby Vision. Both films, framed at 2.35:1, come from recent 4K restorations backed by MK2 and performed by Éclair, sourced from scans of the original 35mm camera negatives. Also included is a standard dual-layer Blu-ray featuring high-definition presentations of both films (sourced from the same restorations) along with all of the set’s video features. As of now, the release is available only as part of Criterion’s box set The Adventures of Antoine Doinel, an upgrade of their long out-of-print DVD collection, still one of my favorite releases.
The new presentation of The 400 Blows is unquestionably an upgrade over Criterion’s earlier Blu-ray (one I inexplicably, and insanely, gave a good review to back in the day), and Antoine and Colette looks quite good as well. That said, both end up being—for lack of a better term—a mixed bag. The restoration work has cleaned things up nicely, and the source materials appear to be in solid shape. Where the elements allow it, the image is sharp and clear with strong detail, and the encode handles grain exceptionally well. Grain is rendered cleanly in both shadowy areas and bright highlights, with a natural appearance throughout. On a purely technical level, they’re solid.
But where both presentations stumble, and where things get frustrating, is in the grayscale and contrast, which feel constrained and flat. I was especially let-down by how both films looked in Dolby Vision, where the grayscale is severely limited. The image often appears dark, dull, and overwhelmingly gray. So, so gray. While blacks are deep, the shadow gradation is weak, and midtones are choked off, leaving little range. Turning off Dolby Vision did improve things somewhat, yielding a more pleasing image with a slightly broader contrast range and more punch in the highlights, but it's still disappointing, especially considering how good a black-and-white film can look in Dolby Vision when done right (see The Big Heat).
To be fair, The 400 Blows has always had a darker appearance, even going back to Criterion’s 1998 DVD, but not to this degree. I revisited that DVD and, despite looking like absolute ass (a technical term, of course), I thought the grayscale separation was actually a bit better there. That all said, sadly, it appears the issue here isn’t on Criterion’s end but rather stems from the master they were handed. Based on everything I’ve read and seen, the root of the problem is Éclair’s grading, which flattens the grayscale, much like what happened with The Mother and the Whore. This look hasn’t translated well to other recent home video editions for The 400 Blows, including Carlotta’s French 4K disc. From what I can tell via screenshots (I don’t own the disc), Carlotta’s release took things in the opposite direction, adjusting gamma levels to push detail in the shadows and highlights, but the result is an overly bright, washed-out image with blown-out whites. Again, I've only seen screen captures, but that presentation looks dreadful.
In that light, I think Criterion has done what they can. Their version is clearly a significant step up from their earlier Blu-ray and certainly fares better than the mess that is Carlotta’s edition. Still, it’s a letdown, especially since this was the film I was most looking forward to revisiting in 4K. Thankfully, the presentations for the rest of the set (from Stolen Kisses through Love on the Run) look phenomenal, so this ends up being a one-off. But still, my heart sank a little when I first popped it in.
The 400 Blows with Antoine and Colette - Screen Captures
Audio 6/10
Both films feature lossless single-channel PCM monaural soundtracks. The source elements probably impose some limitations, but I was still fairly impressed. The range isn’t especially wide, but both tracks are clean, with sharp dialogue and nicely rendered music.
The 400 Blows with Antoine and Colette: 6/10 The 400 Blows with Antoine and Colette: 6/10
Extras 8/10
Criterion ports everything over from their previous Blu-ray releases, including material that had been exclusive to their Antoine Doinel DVD box set. The most notable addition (originally found only on the DVD set’s supplemental disc) is Truffaut’s first short feature from a new 4K restoration, Les mistons, sadly included only on the Blu-ray, not the 4K disc. Running about 18 minutes, the short follows a group of young boys and their day-to-day mischief; playing cowboys or harassing a young woman (played by Bernadette Lafont) they’re all infatuated with. Her boyfriend (played by Lafont’s then-husband, Gérard Blain) also becomes an unintended target. It’s actually a rather charming little film, but its greater importance lies in its role establishing the film critic Truffaut, known at the time for his harsh reviews, as a filmmaker in his own right. This is emphasized in an optional commentary made up of an interview conducted by Serge Toubiana with assistant director Claude de Givray, as well as a brief introduction by Toubiana.
Unfortunately, something has gone wrong with the encoding. Similar to the issue that plagued the Blu-ray in Criterion’s Citizen Kane 4K set, Les mistons looks like it’s suffered from a poorly handled conversion from an HDR master to SDR. The gamma and grayscale have been flattened significantly, leading to a dull, lifeless image with limited gradation, weak blacks, and washed-out highlights. It’s rough; and a shame, too, because the restoration otherwise looks solid. This could’ve been a great upgrade over the old standard-definition DVD presentation.
Moving on from that disappointment, both of the previously available audio commentaries return (and are found on both the 4K and Blu-ray discs). The first, by Brian Stonehill, was originally recorded for Criterion’s LaserDisc and has appeared on all of their editions since. It remains a solid scholarly track, with Stonehill digging into the film’s structure, visual language, and production, while citing various interviews with Truffaut and collaborators. It’s not an essential listen, but it’s worthwhile, especially for first-time viewers.
The second track, in French with optional English subtitles and recorded for a French DVD in the early 2000's, features Serge Toubiana interviewing Truffaut’s longtime friend Robert Lachenay. The conversation covers their childhood, Truffaut’s early career, and various autobiographical elements reflected in the film. It’s a charming track, even if it contains more dead air than ideal.
Sadly, Criterion still hasn’t brought over the French commentary track recorded in 1992 for their original LaserDisc and included on the 1998 DVD edition. That one also featured Lachenay, covering some of the same ground, but it included co-writer Marcel Moussy, who was recorded separately. Frustratingly, the DVD didn’t even include subtitles for the track, and while my French is limited, it’s clear Moussy discussed some of his other collaborations with Truffaut. I was hoping this re-release might finally bring it back with proper subtitles, but alas, it’s been left out again.
Despite those disappointments, the rest of the material (found on the Blu-ray) is thankfully still excellent. First up is about six minutes of audition footage, which remains a standout inclusion. The highlight is Jean-Pierre Léaud’s screen test, where it’s easy to see what Truffaut saw in him—equal parts shy and cocky, somehow giving the impression that he didn’t care whether he got the role or not. We also get a rehearsal with Léaud and Patrick Auffay, and a rather amusing bit with Richard Kanayan. It’s great that this material survived, and it makes for a fascinating archival piece.
Next is Reflets de Cannes 1959, a brief festival newsreel capturing the reception of The 400 Blows. There’s some wonderful footage of Léaud at the premiere, along with a brief interview where he discusses the truth of the film and preparing for the classroom interview scene.
Also included is a half-hour excerpt from a 1965 episode of Cinéastes de notre temps focusing on Truffaut and his early career, particularly the first two Doinel films. Featuring interviews with Truffaut, Léaud, Albert Rémy, and others, the program explores his transition from critic to filmmaker. One of the more interesting revelations is how Truffaut acknowledges the influence of Hitchcock in The 400 Blows, which may not have been intentional.
There’s also a 7-minute excerpt from Cinépanorama, in which Truffaut is interviewed following a return from the United States. The conversation (which awkwardly switches between French and English) is another worthwhile inclusion, especially for Truffaut’s honesty about the film’s reception abroad (he notes it flopped in Italy and Germany) and his own self-criticism, calling the film amateurish and rejecting the “masterpiece” label. Unsurprisingly, he was his own harshest critic.
Not included on the previous Blu-ray edition but carried over from the DVD set is a 25-minute excerpt from the 1961 documentary Portrait of François Truffaut. In this selection, Truffaut talks about the filmmakers who most inspired him (Jean Renoir ranks highest among the French) and how he went about choosing his first project. He then moves on to discuss The 400 Blows, casting Léaud, and Antoine and Colette. Impressively, this doesn’t feel redundant after the previous features, the director expanding on things only briefly touched on in those ones.
Finally, the disc wraps up with the film’s original trailer (ported from past editions), along with a new re-release trailer promoting the 4K restoration.
Despite a few fumbles—the gamma issues with Les mistons and the continued absence of the 1992 French commentary—it’s still a strong set of supplements. If you haven’t already gone through this material, it’s well worth your time.
Closing
Grayscale reservations aside, this new 4K presentation is still a clear improvement over all previous releases. I just wish more could have been done to correct the grading choices made during the original restoration.
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