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    • BLU-RAY REVIEW

    400 Blows, The (Les Quatre Cents Coups)

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    WSR Score2
    Basic Information on new release titles is posted as soon as titles are announced. Once reviewed, additional data is added to the database.
    (Studio/Distributor):
    The Criterion Collection
    (Catalog Number):
    CC1795BD
    (MPAA Rating):
    Not Rated
    (Rating Reason):
    (Retail Price):
    $39.95
    (Disc Type):
    Single Side, Dual Layer (BD-50)
    (Widescreen Edition):
    Yes
    (Full Screen Edition):
    No
    (Running Time In Minutes):
    99
    (Color Type):
    Black & White
    (Chaptered/Scene Access):
    Yes
    (Closed Captioned):
    Yes
    (Regional Coding):
    A
    (Theatrical Year):
    1959
    (Theatrical Release):
    Yes
    (Direct-To-Video Release):
    No
    (Disc Release Date):
    03/24/09
    (THX® Digitally Mastered):
    No
    (Director):
    Francois Truffaut
    (Screenplay/Written By):
    (Story):
    (Music):
    (Director Of Photography):
    (Production Designer):
    (Visual Effects):
    (Costume Designer):
    (Editor):
    (Supervising Sound Editors):
    (Re-Recording Mixers):
    (Executive Producers):
    (Co-Producers):
    (Producers):
    (Academy Awards):
    (Principal Photography):
    (Theatrical Aspect Ratio):
    (Measured Disc Aspect Ratio):
    (Disc Soundtrack):
    PCM 24/48 1.0
    (Theatrical Sound):
    (Theatrical Re-Issue Soundtrack):
    (DTS Bit Rate):
    (Dolby Digital Bit Rate):
    (Additional Languages):
    (French Language):
    (Spanish Language):
    (Chinese Language):
    (Subtitles):
    (Cantonese Language):
    (Mandarin Language):
    (Japanese Language):
    (Italian Language):
    (German Language):
    (Portuguese Language):

    "The 400 Blows (Les Quatre Cents Coups)," meaning "to raise hell" is François Truffaut's first feature film, and takes an intimate look at the maturation of a young Parisian delinquent, Antione Doniel (Léaud). A semi-autobiographical film of the director's life, Antoine spends his first years shunned by his parents. Forced to make himself invisible, he takes refuge in the cinema, playing hooky and committing minor crimes. The character of Doniel is brought to life through the combination of Truffaut's script and actor Léaud, who was "an antisocial loner on the brink of rebellion." (Gary Reber)

    Special features include rare 16mm screen tests with an interview with Jean-Pierre Léaud, an improvised dialogue between Léaud and Patrick Auffay, and an audition by Richard Kanayan (SD 6:24); a "Cannes 1959" newsreel excerpt (SD 5:51); a "Cinéastes De Notre Temps" French TV excerpt (SD 22:27); a "Cinépanorama" French TV excerpt (SD 6:52); the theatrical trailer; and a booklet.

    The 2.35:1 1080p AVC picture is an improvement compared to the previous DVD reviewed in Issue 30. This new high-defiition digital transfer was created from a 35mm composite fine-grain master positive. While thousands of instances of dirt, debris, and scratches were removed, some minor noise and grain are still apparent, but are not terribly distracting. The gray scale is nicely rendered, but images are soft throughout, but not as soft as on the DVD and more naturally rendered than the LaserDisc reviewed in Issue 21. Though the AVC imagery betters the DVD and LaserDisc, it is still only mediocre. Subtitles are perfectly placed at the lower area of the picture. (Gary Reber)

    The linear PCM monaural soundtrack still sounds undistinguished and distorted. (Gary Reber)

    Reason #105 Why Readers Love Widescreen Review:

    Since Issue 5 (my first), I focused on reviews of Laser Discs and now DVDs, and From The Editor's Couch. Also, WSR has a lot of punch in the new equipment features. The technical essays have been superb! My home theatre setup depended (and still depends) on knowledge gained from WSR. WSR has become the media reference for me with regard to picture and sound quality assurance in display equipment and widescreen entertainment (movies, music events, and documentaries). I still do not have Issues 1 through 4 or the Premiere Special Edition of WSR and hope you put them on the subscribers' site eventually, so that I can giggle at some of the early typos and slips (if you leave them in). However, I'm sure that the early editions make for interesting historical reading as well, because I believe WSR has moved the display industry forward through the pushing the envelope attitude of Gary Reber. Carry on.

    Jerry Daca
    26864 Mandelieu Drive, Murrieta, CA 92562 • Phone: 951 676 4914 • Fax: 951 693 2960
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