Les quatre cents coups (1959)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

François Truffaut

Writers:

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

Release Date:

16 November 1959 (USA)

Genre:

Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Angel faces hell-bent for violence.

Plot:

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

Plot Keywords:

Police Officer | Jail | Judge | Bare Butt | Cult Favorite

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 6 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

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

Also Known As:

The Four Hundred Blows (Canada: English title) (UK) (USA)
The 400 Blows (UK) (USA)
Les 400 coups (France) (alternative spelling)

Runtime:

99 min | Spain:92 min

Country:

France

Language:

French | English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

France:U | South Korea:All (2003) | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-12 | Finland:K-8 (1966) | Singapore:PG | Sweden:15 | UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2001) | UK:PG (video rating) (1993) | West Germany:16 | Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Avenue Frochot, Paris, France

Company:

Les Films du Carrosse

Trivia:

When Antoine's father finally nodded to the cinema business, realizing it is Rivette's "Paris nous appartient", he said: "Si c'est un complot..." And a 'complot' (conspiracy), really, is the central issue of the Rivette's film.

Goofs:

Continuity: Position of Antoine's hands on the door when Rene comes to visit changes.

Quotes:

Antoine Doinel: I need some money for lunch, dad. Only 1,000 francs.
Julien Doinel: Therefore you hope for 500. Therefore you need 300. Here's 100.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Squeeze (1997)

Soundtrack:

Finale

An intense emotional journey of one boy's early life

This film is one of the greatest I have ever seen. It depicts some events in the life of Antoine Doinel, a young French boy who gets into a lot of trouble no matter what he does. This was the first film by Francois Truffaut, and I believe that it is filmed with such an innocence that you can really feel some of the emotions that Antoine feels. I love the simple style of this film, and I think it adds to its charm. The story is can even be painful to watch as one sees all of the things that happen to Antoine. I think that the reason for the strong emotions embedded in this film is that it is semi-autobiographical. I think the cinema is what rescued Truffaut from a life like his protagonist.In short, an inspiration to all filmmakers-they DEFINITELY don't make them like this anymore!