Communications Writing Question (4)
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Nov 24, 2024
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1
The 400 Blows and Moonlight
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November 3, 2022
2
Abstract
Various film elements are utilized to add specific meaning to films targeted toward
specific audiences. Even though films may have the same thematic elements, these films are
created for different audiences, which means that they are likely to use different elements of
the film to convey the same message. One of the things that influence the choice of style in
film, apart from the film, is the time the film was set and the available techniques. Some films
are forced to rely on available techniques of manipulating films, and other films have an array
of techniques from which they can freely choose. For example, "The 400 Blows" and
"Moonlight" are films set in different times. While conveying almost a similar message, these
films utilized different elements of the film. These elements were mainly determined by the
time the films were set in and the available techniques that could be applied.
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The 400 Blows and Moonlight
Introduction
"The 400 Blows" compresses several years of Truffaut's upbringing into a few weeks
or months of Antoine Doinel's life. Antoine's existence takes place in three places: his modest
apartment with his mother and adoptive father, his classroom with the short-fused teacher,
and the streets of Paris, where he and his best friend, René, escape. At school, Antoine is
bored, inattentive, and often in trouble. His parents utilize him like a skivvy, which brings
him a little joy. His family life is strained, and his mother's affair doesn't help. His only
escape is Paris' streets, cafés, fairgrounds, and theaters. Antoine and René are suspended from
school after a brief time of tranquility at home, and Antoine moves in with René. Antoine's
failed attempt to acquire money by stealing from his father's office results in his arrest and
deportation to an 'observation center' and his parents effectively disowning him. A final break
for freedom leads to a heart-stopping final shot (Truffaut, 1959).
"Moonlight" is set in Miami's impoverished Liberty City and has three acts. In the
first act, drug dealer Juan observes a little boy fleeing older boys who threaten to beat him
and pursue him into an abandoned apartment. Juan takes him home, and the following
morning he takes Chiron to his mother, a crack addict. In the second act, Chiron is bullied by
Terrel in high school. His mother's addiction has worsened, and he's still cared for by Teresa,
even though Juan is dead. Chiron and Kevin have sex on the beach. Terrel manipulates Kevin
into knocking down Chiron, who he and his accomplice beat. Chiron returns to school and
hits Terrel with a chair. Chiron is handcuffed. In the third act, Ten years later, Chiron is an
Atlanta drug dealer. His mother calls him to visit her in rehab. Kevin calls him on a phone
call. Chiron first visits his mother and then goes to see Kevin. Chiron tells Kevin he's been
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celibate since meeting him. We see Chiron on the moonlit beach where Juan taught him to
swim (Jenkins, 2016).
Elements of Film
Despite its subject matter, Truffaut's picture is not a sad dirge or a bleak tragedy.
Sometimes it's really enjoyable. From above the streets of Paris, a beautiful sequence depicts
a physical education teacher leading his class on a jog. One by one, the guys drop back until
only two or three remain behind their instructor. One of Antoine's blundering actions leads to
the film's most joyful scene. With a candle in hand, he sets fire to the makeshift cardboard
altar in honor of Balzac. His parents put out the fire, and then they can forgive him for once,
taking him with them to the movies and sharing some good laughs on the drive home (Prince,
2012).
Moonlight's style and story are equally important. Realist social observation
dominates, with location and natural lighting used to evoke place and space. Several scenes
feel documentary-like, such as the youngsters playing in the schoolyard or watching the
puppet performance. For the home and school sequences, the camera is often stationary or
moves slowly back and forth across the confined area. In contrast, in the streets, and
especially during Antoine's final run toward freedom, the camera is either highly mobile or
set in an extremely wide shot or high angle, emphasizing the space around Antoine (Prince,
2012). Close-ups bring us close to Antoine during emotional times, while the subtle mise en
scène reminds us of his imprisonment with recurring motifs of bars or lattices in front of his
face. Point-of-view photos show Antoine's subjective experience, including an upside-down
image on a fair ride (Flood, 2021).
The two films deal with the same subject matter but at different times. The films use
the same camera shots to focus on the characters and the situations in the main characters'
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lives. In the closing moments of each movie, the audience is given some alone time with the
main character to reflect on all that has happened to them throughout their lives. Both films
focus on three different times of the characters' lives. The gradual development in their lives,
their situations at home, troubles at school, and the friendships they form to escape their
troubled lives. In "The 400 Blows," Antoine and René are friends who stay with each other
despite their troubles. Chiron and Kevin are two friends who stay together and become even
more despite Chiron's troubles (Flood, 2021). These two films explore the development of
people with troubled pasts in different times and how their lives turn out.
Both of these movies use various cinematic methods that immerse the audience within
the viewpoint of the primary characters, increasing our capacity for empathy for those
individuals. The world that the two protagonists inhabit is sterile and artificial. It appears that
Antoine's mother only cares about her son when she is concerned that he will find out about
her affair. The fact that Chiron's mother is a heroin addict and that she hardly seems to care
about her son is highly concerning. Both of these movies have endings that make you both
hopeful and sad. The melancholy starkly contrasts the sense of tranquility and protection that
the ocean embodied for the two people.
Conclusion
The two coming-of-age films explore the lives of two characters as they struggle with
life at home and in school. Different elements and cinematic techniques have been explored
in the two films to make the audience empathize with the main characters. Even though the
films are set in different times, the subject matter explored is relevant to the struggles many
people encounter. In "The 400 Blows," Antoine has his friend René who helps him deal with
the issues he faces at home. The same is true for Chiron in "Moonlight," although his
friendship with Kevin develops into something even more. The camera shots in each scene
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and the lighting of both films produce a somber mood that reiterates these characters'
struggles. The differences in how various scenes are set in the movies can be accounted to the
difference in time and the available cinematic elements of the time. Despite the differences,
the films are masterpieces and superbly produced.
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References
Flood, M. (2021).
Moonlight: Screening Black Queer Youth
. Routledge.
Jenkins, B. (2016). Moonlight. A24.
Truffaut, F. (1959). Les quatre cents coups: The 400 blows. Les Films Du Carrosse
Prince, S. (2012).
Movies and Meaning: An Introduction to Film, 6th Edition
(6th ed.).
Pearson.