The 400 Blows - Visual Style

A scene in The 400 Blows that I found to have interesting visual style was the shot in which Antoine was stealing a typewriter from his stepfather’s work place. The shot is a close-up of Antoine holding the typewriter as he’s leaving the room, with his face half turned away from the camera. In this shot the viewers can see that Antoine is focused on the task at hand, with his eyes focused on the floor and each step he must take to exit the building without being caught. 

A follow-up shot is then shown with Antoine holding the typewriter, except this time he is caught by security after trying to return it. This shot again shows Antoine, but his face is half obscured by shadows. These are important shots to the plot of the film as they show Antoine’s transition from one path in his life to another. Originally he was going to continue on with his theft, but he changed his mind and decided to do the right thing by returning it.