4.5
340 reviews

The 400 Blows

François Truffaut19591h 39mSocial Issues, Drama, Classic

Why we chose it

Truffaut was still a boy when his own father handed him over to the police, and years later that memory became a film. Jean-Pierre Léaud, cast in the lead, never memorised his lines but spoke in his own words. Blow after blow, you feel how cruel childhood can be.

Synopsis

Antoine Doinel makes his first appearance as an unruly boy growing up in a cramped Paris flat with a family that doesn’t understand him. He skips school, steals and suffers under a teacher who has it in for him, until an arrest lands him in a cell overnight with prostitutes and thieves. The court sends him to a reform school, but Antoine escapes, in search of freedom.

Information

Director
Cast
Also known as
Les Quatre Cents Coups
Festival screenings
Oscars, Cannes FF
Language
French, English
Country
France
Subtitles
Greek, Polish
Age rating
12+

Cannes Film Festival

Official Selection

1959

Cannes Film Festival

Best Director

1959

Cannes Film Festival

OCIC Award

1959

What others say

4.5
340 reviews

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