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Jean-Pierre Léaud, Robert Beauvais, Claire Maurier, Albert Remy, Guy Decomble ... see more see more... , Patrick Auffay , Luc Andrieux , Jean-Claude Brialy , Christian Brocard , Yvonne Claudie , Daniel Couturier , Georges Flament , Renaud Fontanarosa , Richard Kanayan , Marius Laurey , Claude Mansard , Jacques Monod , Pierre Repp , Henri Virlojeux , Jacques Demy , Jean Douchet , Jeanne Moreau , François Truffaut , Serge Moati

For his feature-film debut, critic-turned-director François Truffaut drew inspiration from his own troubled childhood. The 400 Blows stars Jean-Pierre Léaud as Antoine Doinel, Truffaut's preteen alter... read more read more... ego. Misunderstood at home by his parents and tormented in school by his insensitive teacher (Guy Decomble), Antoine frequently runs away from both places. The boy finally quits school after being accused of plagiarism by his teacher. He steals a typewriter from his father (Albert Remy) to finance his plans to leave home. The father angrily turns Antoine over to the police, who lock the boy up with hardened criminals. A psychiatrist at a delinquency center probes Antoine's unhappiness, which he reveals in a fragmented series of monologues. Originally intended as a 20-minute short, The 400 Blows was expanded into a feature when Truffaut decided to elaborate on his self-analysis. For the benefit of Truffaut's fellow film buffs, The 400 Blows is full of brief references to favorite directors, notably Truffaut's then-idol Jean Vigo. The film won the 1959 Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival, even though Truffaut had been declared persona non grata the year before for his inflammatory comments about the festival's commercialism. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

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94% liked it

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51 critics

Unrated, 1 hr. 37 min.

Directed by: François Truffaut

Release Date: November 16, 1959

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DVD Release Date: March 24, 1998

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Flixster Reviews (2,146)

  • FilmFanatik
    March 27, 2012
    FilmFanatik
    Along with maybe Saturday Night Fever, this is one of the best growing up stories ever put on film. I know that statement will probably send people through the roof and I'll get some hate mail for it, but oh well. The 400 Blows is one of cinema's true masterpieces, and this comin... read moreg from a first-time director with the name Francois Truffaut. It's no wonder this film made a splash on the art house scene in the late fifties and early sixties, influencing countless filmmakers. I can certainly see the effect it had on people like Jonathan Demme. It's basically the tale of a troubled kid who goes through some tough times with his parents, teachers and friends. It sounds cliche'd, I know, but it feels very fresh and unique, even by today's standards. It holds up remarkably well because the story is told so well, and it's pretty much a universal story about youth in revolt against society. Very few films have that sort of lasting appeal, and this one does, in spades.
  • spielberg00
    January 28, 2012
    spielberg00
    Most words are just too blank to define a film as mature, touching, poignant, and whole as THE 400 BLOWS. The film marks the directorial debut of François Truffaut, who worked prior to being a filmmaker as a film critic. At that, he goes beyond perfection. Though his screenpl... read moreay, co-written with Marcel Moussy, is touched occasionally by what can be interpreted as light comedy, the main focus was as a crime-drama. The fact that this was not a nominee for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 1959 Academy Awards is utterly baffling.
  • imrealgod
    January 24, 2012
    imrealgod
    My bad; I should have known better. It's an enormous blow in the name of a film. But I've had worse that have enabled me to survive such blows.
  • cosmo313
    January 23, 2012
    cosmo313
    This film marked the start of Francois Truffaut's careeer, as well as the start of the French New Wave of cinema. It's one of the most important and influentual films ever made, but, despite that, I found myself surpriused by the fact that I am unable to give it the "Full 5" I'v... read moree been under the impressions that I am supposed to.

    Don't get me wrong: this semiautobiographical tale of the pains of adolesence (as well as a critique of the treatment of juvenile offenders in France at the time) is fantastic, but I didn't completely warm up to it and find myself fully in love. It never lost my attention, and there's no real outstanding mistakes, but i just didn't really feel surprised by any of it.

    Antoine Doinel (Truffaut's cinematic alter ego) is a 12 year-old school boy who, it seems, just can't catch a break. His parents don't understand him and are neglectful, his teachers (one in particular) are equally as bad, if not worse, especially give the harsh way they treat Antoine, and others as well. To deal with these issues, Antoine turns to a life of small time petty criminal activity, with dreams of giving up school to start making a real living, as well as to get out of the city to see the ocean, something he has always dreamed of.

    Finding wonderful juvenile performers can be a tricky business, but Jean-Pierre Leaud is wonderful as Antoine, capturing the various facets of life at the age of 12. He's not really that bad of a kid, but yeah, he's not a saint either. He doesn't really mean to do wrong, but the adult world just doesn't get it. Claire Maurier and Albert Remy are good as his parents, but for me, the real scene stealer was Guy Decomble as the French Teacher, who is especially harsh and hateful to the pupils, and you really hate this guy as much as the kids do.

    While I enjoyed the performances, and thought the writing was decent, where I was really taken was with the cinematography and the msuic. There's long takes, some tracking shots, nice fluid movements, nice use of composition, lighting, and framing, and the reuslt is justr beautiful to look at. With the music, the film is given a nicely whimsical atmosphere that both enhances and contrasts the more realistic tone of the story. If that doesn't make sense, what I'm trying to say is that the music takes the realism and makes it dreamy, yet never makes it too far removed from reality.

    I think if I really had to name something about the film that bugs me is that I just felt kinda underwhelmed and felt like there should have been more to it. I'm fien with the ending (and it's famous final shot), but it just seemed a little too neat and truncated overall. That shouldn't deter you though, as this remains, even then, a wonderful piece of work that all who really love the medium of film need to see.
  • danperry17
    January 5, 2012
    danperry17
    Without a doubt, one of the best films ever made. This is Paris in 1968 before Paris in 1968. This is punk rock before punk rock. This is New Wave before New Wave. This is existentialism, Camus from the mouth of babes. This is what Foucault was going on about in Discipline and Pu... read morenish. This is the non-conformist spirit, at once made concrete and abstract. This is how it feels to be dispossessed, displaced, and dispirited. This is the un-coming-of-age story, the moment of the invention of the precise opposite of the clichà (C). This is On The Waterfront for the French, but better. This is the loneliness at the core of human existence, communicated better than in most art made before or since. This is one of the few films I will gush about rather than "objectively" pick apart. This is brilliant, visionary film-making, and a movie you absolutely must not die without having seen.
  • DragonEyeMorrison
    December 21, 2011
    DragonEyeMorrison
    It's kind of hard to care about Antoine when he is so stupid, i guess that's part of the point, kids are stupid, but it doesn't help that every single adult is portrayed as some kind of ogre, or simplistic doofus. I also guess that i'm not suppose to sympathize with Antoine, but ... read morethen, what's the point?
  • TomBowler
    November 6, 2011
    TomBowler
    Despite being made in 1959, the 50 years has done little to diminish this film's power or relevance. Full review later.
  • fb1216165431
    September 9, 2011
    fb1216165431
    Despite in black and white, The 400 Blows is a vibrant and joyful depiction of youth delinquency and rebellion of and by the influential François Truffaut, pioneer of the French New Wave late 1950's. Timeless and honest, certainly one of world cinema's best. A joyous and purposef... read moreul cinematic rebellion.
  • blkbomb
    July 10, 2011
    blkbomb
    Antoine: I need some money for lunch, dad. Only 1,000 francs.
    Julien: Therefore you hope for 500. Therefore you need 300. Here's 100.

    The 400 Blows is undoubtedly a masterpiece. It's the first Francais Truffaut film I have seen and I was completely blown away by it. Leaud who ... read moreplays Dionel is really good. Based on Truffauts own childhood; Dionel is always in trouble. His parents aren't the greatest and that doesn't help matters at all. The movie features great performances, music, and cinematography.
  • axadntpron
    March 29, 2011
    axadntpron
    Truffaut's 1959 semi-autobiographical piece regarding indolent youth and the society that generates them is captivating, elegantly conceived, and still feels robust even 50 years after it's conception. Through the film's protagonist Antoine (Jean-Pierre Leaud), the director shows... read more the multi-faceted nature of adolescence. Whether it is with his camera, in scenes such as the one where Antoine is sitting before 3 different mirrors which all capture different aspects of his physique, or with his direction, in which it seems as though Truffaut's life has been transferred into the young actor through osmosis, Truffaut displays the complexities of youth in an honest and cogent manner.
    As far as education goes, the adults in this story don't seem to be interested in developing nuance, but rather a future race of citizens with the very same set of ideals. Many of the lessons we are shown in the film have to do with the children's memorization and regurgitation of old poems. When this proves futile, the teacher exclaims that France will be in sorry shape in the next ten years. Truffaut shows the damage that this type of education brings by highlighting one child as he fights to write the words down even as the inkwell is leaking onto the pages, defiling his skin, and staining the very nature of who he is.
    Caught between an adulterous mother and an apathetic father, Antoine's one saving grace is the cinemas. Truffaut's true love for film comes out in these scenes as he captures the boy's sense of wonder as he marvels at the celluloid before him. Truffaut even includes a scene of Antoine stealing a still of Welles' Citizen Kane. A touching tribute to another young and influential filmmaker who would also have a stunning debut.
    This being my first film that I have seen of the Nouvelle Vague, I am not yet familiar with all of the visual staples of this movement. Yet, you would have to be visually impaired not to see how beautifully shot this film is. From the tracking shots in the classroom to illuminate the idiosyncrasies of the classroom environment to the POV shots used to show the physical and mental imprisonment of Antoine, Truffaut judiciously uses his camera to expound a particular mood.
    While I know that only the further consumption of films from the New Wave will help me to better understand the universal importance of this movement, if the 400 Blows is any indication, I will not be let down.

View All The 400 Blows (Les Quatre cents coups) Reviews

Critic Reviews

Michael Phillips
February 1, 2008
Michael Phillips, Chicago Tribune

Seems forever young. Full Review

Andrew O'Hehir
September 27, 2007
Andrew O'Hehir, Salon.com

Forget my curmudgeonly attitude and see it -- again, or for the first time -- for yourself. Full Review

Nick Pinkerton
September 27, 2007
Nick Pinkerton, Village Voice

A remarkable confluence of talents are at work here. Full Review

Dave Kehr
July 9, 2007
Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader

Distinguished by its intensity of feeling and freewheeling use of the wide-screen frame, the film ranks among Truffaut's best. Full Review

Variety Staff
July 9, 2007
Variety Staff, Variety

An engaging, moving film. Full Review

Bosley Crowther
May 20, 2003
Bosley Crowther, New York Times

Amazingly, this vigorous effort is the first feature film of M. Truffaut, who had previously been (of all things!) the movie critic for a French magazine. Full Review

James Berardinelli
August 1, 2002
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

For all of Truffaut's mastery of the behind-the-camera aspects of The 400 Blows, an equal share of the credit must go to lead actor Jean-Pierre Léaud. Full Review

Roger Ebert
January 1, 2000
Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

The later films have their own merits, and Stolen Kisses is one of Truffaut's best, but The 400 Blows, with all its simplicity and feeling, is in a class by itself. Full Review

Matthew Pejkovic
July 6, 2010
Matthew Pejkovic, Matt's Movie Reviews

Truffaut's ode to his childhood is an engrossing watch that is alluring in its simplicity and brilliant in its direction. It flows nicely at its own pace, never allowing melodrama to ruin its realisti... Full Review

Radheyan Simonpillai
June 7, 2010
Radheyan Simonpillai, AskMen.com

Truffaut brought a fresh and piercingly honest portrayal of troubled youth to the screen. In many ways, Antonie Doinel is not only the cinematic embodiment of Truffaut, but also the French New Wave as... Full Review

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