The 400 Blows (1959)
"Les quatre cents coups" (original title)

Intensely touching story of a misunderstood young adolescent who left without attention, delves into a life of petty crime.

Director:

François Truffaut

Writers:

François Truffaut (scenario), Marcel Moussy (adaptation),

Stars:

Jean-Pierre Léaud, Claire Maurier, Albert Rémy

Top 250 #182 | Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean-Pierre Léaud	...	Antoine Doinel
Claire Maurier	...	Gilberte Doinel - la mère d'Antoine
Albert Rémy	...	Julien Doinel
Guy Decomble	...	'Petite Feuille', the French teacher
Georges Flamant	...	Mr. Bigey
Patrick Auffay	...	René
Daniel Couturier	...	Betrand Mauricet
François Nocher	...	Un enfant / Child
Richard Kanayan	...	Un enfant / Child
Renaud Fontanarosa	...	Un enfant / Child
Michel Girard	...	Un enfant / Child
Serge Moati	...	Un enfant / Child (as Henry Moati)
Bernard Abbou	...	Un enfant / Child
Jean-François Bergouignan	...	Un enfant / Child
Michel Lesignor	...	Un enfant / Child

Storyline

A young Parisian boy, Antoine Doinel, neglected by his derelict parents, skips school, sneaks into movies, runs away from home, steals things, and tries (disastrously) to return them. Like most kids, he gets into more trouble for things he thinks are right than for his actual trespasses. Unlike most kids, he gets whacked with the big stick. He inhabits a Paris of dingy flats, seedy arcades, abandoned factories, and workaday streets, a city that seems big and full of possibilities only to a child's eye.

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Plot Keywords:

school | fondling | jail | mother son relationship | police station | 

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Taglines:

Angel faces hell-bent for violence.

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Genres:

Crime | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French English

Release Date:

16 November 1959 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Four Hundred Blows

Filming Locations:

Avenue Frochot, Paris 9, Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films du Carrosse, Sédif Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

François Truffaut:  is seen riding next to Antoine in the centrifuge ride at the fair, and can then be seen smoking a cigarette just outside the ride.

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Goofs

When Antoine and René go to the cinema René wears a black coat, but in one shot he is wearing just a jacket.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Petite Feuille: Doinel, bring me that. Indeed! Go to the corner!

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Connections

Referenced in The Semester We Loved Kim Novak (1980)

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Soundtracks

"Les quatre cents coup"
Composed by Jean Costantin

User Reviews

François Truffaut's debut was a masterpiece

François Truffaut was one of the best French critics past director and his letter is "Les 400 coups", a good example of this. The start of the "Antoine Doinel" (Jean-Pierre Léaud), series is dedicated to a movie fresh, dynamic, without a second to rest or boredom. A perfect example That cinema should be culture and at the same time, entertain, serve as escape. And that Truffaut has succeeded in most of his films, something that few directors have achieved.

François Truffaut is responsible for this dark urban tale, the film summit "novelle vague" French, one of the best debuts in film history. This debut feature tells the vicissitudes of "Antoine Doinel" a child whose life does not smile, your teacher will not tolerate it, hates his mother and his father ends up feeling the same after "Antoine" and best friend begin to make mischief.

It is a beautiful but very sad story, drawn with great skill and with a screenplay by Marcel Moussy with Truffaut. It is a deeply self-biographical film, and dedicated to his mentor André Bazin.

The film is well made, has a good photography, with a melancholy and nostalgic soundtrack, excellent performances for both children and adults, and an argument that many will shed tears for its crudeness. This works and this film take place among the great films of the good cinema.