Analysis

Evil Step Mother: The female guardian in each story share many of the same characteristics. The evil step mother in the fairy tale is vain and cruel to Snow White. In the movie, the mother is also very concerned about her looks. There are several times throughout the film where she puts her own desires above the needs of her own child. For example, when arguing with her husband, she discusses shipping her son away for the summer. Snow White is also unwanted by her guardian and is forced to live on her own. In the very end of 400 Blows, the mother also leaves her son and he is left to live out his life without his parents as well.

Father: Both Snow White and Antoine are without their biological fathers. Although Antoine does have a stepfather who spends time with him, he still lacks a relationship with the man who shares his DNA. In the fairy tale, Snow White's father mysteriously perishes after he is remarried to her stepmother.

Age and Self-Sufficiency: Antoine seems to be older than his chronological age would suggest; he finds ways to fend for himself. When he attempts to steal to support himself on his own he displays behavior of someone much older than a child. He also picks up habits such as smoking and is immersed in rough, adult scenarios such as jail. Snow White is also left to live without parental support and survives with the help is animals and the dwarves in the woods.

Villains: Snow White is deceived by an evil witch in her fairy tale. The witch represents a person who cannot be trusted and an overall negative force in the story. The same can be said for several adults in Antoine's life. For instance, his teacher is extremely authoritative and cruel. He consistently puts him down and belittles him while at school. Another harmful person in his life is the instructor at his juvenile delinquency home. He not only verbally insults Antoine, he also punishes him physically by slapping him at mealtime.

True Friendship: Despite the less than ideal circumstances each character faces. They both have friends who love and care for them. For Snow White that friendship comes in the form of the seven dwarves. She also has a connection and love of animals and nature in general. Antoine has a best friend who always has his best interest at heart. He consistently goes out of his way to help him throughout the film. For example, he finds him a place to stay when Antoine feels he cannot return home and he also travels a long distance on his bicycle just to visit his friend at the detention home.

Director: After learning about the director's own childhood I can see how the film could have been a very personal project. I believe he wanted to address the importance of parent-child relationships as well as the negative outcomes that can occur when that is missing. This is similar to the the story of Snow White in that parent-child relationships also play a key role in the story.