The 400 Blows

Antoine Doinel is a twelve-year-old boy who lives in Paris and is not happy. His family is poor and constantly bickers amongst themselves. The only time they ever acknowledge Antoine is when he gets in trouble at school, which is a constant for him. Things continue to escalate until Antoine’s mother promises him 1000 francs if he can do well on his upcoming essay, which only leads to further disaster. The 400 Blows is a story about a boy who has never experienced love and has no love for the world around him. So many films try to romanticize the image of the troubled delinquent to make them appear admirable because of their rebellious spirit. The 400 Blows reveals that the reason young men become troubled is because nobody took the time to understand them.

Production

Directed by François Truffaut

Produced by François Truffaut, Georges Charlo

Screenplay by François Truffaut, Marcel Moussy

Starring Jean-Pierre Léaud, Albert Rémy, Claire Maurier

Cinematography by Henri Decaë

Edited by Marie-Josèphe Yoyotte

Production company: Les Films du Carrosse

Distribution & Stats

Distributed by Cocinor

Release date: May 4, 1959

Running time: 99 minutes

Country: France

Language: French

Box office: $30.7 million