The 400 Blows

400 Blows

France | 1959 | 99 min. | François Truffaut

October 28 - 29, 2022

The Adventures of Antoine Doinel

A young boy, left without attention, delves into a life of petty crime.

François Truffaut’s first feature is also his most personal. Told from the point of view of Truffaut’s cinematic counterpart, Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud), The 400 Blows (Les quatre cents coups) sensitively re-creates the trials of Truffaut’s own childhood, unsentimentally portraying aloof parents, oppressive teachers, and petty crime. The film marked Truffaut’s passage from leading critic to trailblazing auteur of the French New Wave.

  • Original Language Title: Les quatre cents coups
  • Director: François Truffaut
  • Principal Cast: Jean-Pierre Léaud, Claire Maurier, Albert Rémy, Guy Decomble
  • Country: France
  • Year: 1959
  • Running Time: 99 min.
  • Producer: Georges Charlot
  • Screenplay: François Truffaut, Marcel Moussy
  • Cinematographers: Henri Decaë
  • Editors: Marie Josèphe Yoyotte, Cécile Decugis, Michèle de Possel
  • Language: French
  • US Distributor: Janus