In Doniel's case, it's reductive because it presumes some reason for the behavior we see that isn't readily apparent in the situations and places we see. I mean, it's possible that he behaves the way he does because he has schizophrenia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and a bad case of the crabs, but there's nothing in the movie that really lends any credence to the argument.

Something I haven’t seen discussed, and am interested in (disclaimer: The 400 Blows is the only “Doinel film” I’ve seen) is that both times I’ve seen this movie, Antoine struck me as either a textbook “gifted kid” and/or is clearly suffering from ADHD. I know the character is semiautobiographical, but some Googling of Truffaut and ADD/ADHD didn’t really yield any results. What’s interesting, though, is how accurately he portrays a kid so out of place – based on my own experiences/those around me, a lot of Antoine’s decision-making and behavior would be explained by either/both, and Truffaut (and more accurately, Jean-Pierre Léaud) nailed it to a T – from the way he holds his head in certain scenes, to a lot of the character’s mannerisms, and dialogue. I’m just not sure whether or not that was his intention, which makes things especially interesting. I’m not sure how familiar others on this board are with gifted education or behavior of kids with attention deficit disorders., but it’s an aspect of the movie that I absolutely couldn’t ignore.

In Doniel's case, it's reductive because it presumes some reason for the behavior we see that isn't readily apparent in the situations and places we see. I mean, it's possible that he behaves the way he does because he has schizophrenia, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and a bad case of the crabs, but there's nothing in the movie that really lends any credence to the argument. Interpreting what we do see of his behavior as evidence of a disorder, rather than a series of reasonable responses to given stimuli, reduces the impact of those stimuli and the degree to which his responses are entirely understandable and presumably what any bright, soulful child would feel and do.

I own the Doinel set. The 400 Blows is one of my favorite films. Is the Blu Ray so superior that it's worth buying by itself, even tho I have the film in the Doinel set? Your opinion?

Hi

I notice the original Criterion DVD release says : "Additional commentaries by Robert Lachenay, and co-writer Marcel Moussy", whereas the re-release just says: "Commentaries by Robert Lachenay".

Is this a new commentary track, or have the Marcel Moussy components just been deleted?

Regards

John

It's a new track. It's in French with English subtitles. The original was also in French but lacked English subs. Moussy and Lachenay each covered one half of the track.

Thanks. So in other words, unless you understood French, the original commentary was pointless?