Spaces: The 400 Blows Visual Style

In the iconic French film The 400 Blows, the film has two main kinds of visual styles that it focuses on: long shots that are very spacious (usually of the streets of Paris), and medium/close-up shots with Antoine in very tight, enclosed spaces. Let's look at the wide shots first:

A long shot from the finale of the film

As seen in this shot, Antoine is the only character focused on in the shot. The background is expansive and empty, showing that Antoine is all alone. The shots in the film similar to this are outdoor shots in nature like this one, or in the street of Paris where the streets are very empty and there are only a few people there. This shows Antoine's isolation, where there is no one who is on his side and no one who truly and fully cares for him. 

The other shots have a similar effect:

Antoine in jail

The other extreme of shots is where Antoine is in a tight, enclosed space, such as school, jail, or even his own home. This is to represent how Antoine feels trapped, not sure where he fits in in life and society but still blamed and punished for things he does not understand. Furthermore, these shots become more frequent as the movie progresses, showing more and more how Antoine finds himself continuously trapped.