The 400 Blows

"Angel faces hell-bent for violence."

1959 1h 39m FR

🙌

8.0

BANGER

★8.0TMDB · 2,399

Drama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

For young Parisian boy Antoine Doinel, life is one difficult situation after another. Surrounded by inconsiderate adults, including his neglectful parents, Antoine spends his days with his best friend, Rene, trying to plan for a better life. When one of their schemes goes awry, Antoine ends up in trouble with the law, leading to even more conflicts with unsympathetic authority figures.

“Angel faces hell-bent for violence.”

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Cast

Jean-Pierre Léaud
Antoine Doinel
Claire Maurier
Gilberte Doinel
Albert Rémy
Julien Doinel
Georges Flamant
Mr. Bigey
Patrick Auffay
René
Robert Beauvais
Directeur de l'école
Yvonne Claudie
Mme Bigey
Pierre Repp
Professeur d'anglais

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: François Truffaut
Writers: François Truffaut
Languages: English, French
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

67 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "The Adventures of Antoine Doinel Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by François Truffaut, shot by Henri Decaë. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Jean Constantin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Marie-Josèphe Yoyotte shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Jean-Pierre Léaud and Claire Maurier and Albert Rémy carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Angel faces hell-bent for violence.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

François Truffaut directs. Henri Decaë behind the camera. Jean Constantin scores. Marie-Josèphe Yoyotte cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in English, French.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

167 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: English, French.
3Part of the "The Adventures of Antoine Doinel Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by François Truffaut, shot by Henri Decaë. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Jean Constantin. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Marie-Josèphe Yoyotte shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Jean-Pierre Léaud and Claire Maurier and Albert Rémy carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Angel faces hell-bent for violence.".
9IMDB entry: tt0053198 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Classified under 16 themes, including "adolescence", "paris, france", "balzac", "delinquent".
11Released under 48 different titles around the world.

The technical file

Cinematography: Henri Decaë
Original score: Jean Constantin
Editing: Marie-Josèphe Yoyotte
Runtime: 99 min · 1h 39m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Original language: FR
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: The 400 Blows (1959)

Part of

The Adventures of Antoine Doinel Collection

The release of François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows in 1959 shook world cinema to its foundations. The now-classic portrait of troubled adolescence introduced a major new director in the cinematic landscape and was an inaugural gesture of the revolutionary French New Wave. But The 400 Blows did not only introduce the world to its precocious director—it also unveiled his indelible creation: Antoine Doinel. Initially patterned closely after Truffaut himself, the Doinel character (played by the irrepressible and iconic Jean-Pierre Léaud) reappeared in four subsequent films that knowingly portrayed his myriad frustrations and romantic entanglements from his stormy teens through marriage, children, divorce, and adulthood.

Also by

François Truffaut

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What people are saying

CinemaSerf2023-02-24
★ 7/10
Jean-Pierre Léaud is super in this story of a troubled young lad who goes from having troubles at school to petty crime, all under the not so very watchful gazes of his adulteress mother (Claire Maurier) and happy-go-lucky father (Albert Rémy) who spend most of their time squabbling with each other. When his antics finally attract the attention of the police, they decide that maybe some time in juvenile detention might not do him any harm so off he goes - but he is not there for long! It's an episodic story that raises laughs and heckles in equal measure. You cannot help but like this tearaway. It's not so much that he wants attention (though he certainly does), it is that he is has initiative. He is bored; bored of his constantly rowing parents, of the teachers who don't really care about him. He is mischievous, he likes having fun - especially with his pal "René" (Patrick Auffay) with whom he has a few escapades and even lives for a short time. Theft is a serious matter but somehow when he pinches a typewriter from his dad's office - one that doesn't work, by the way, it has to make you smile. The ending features one of these scenes from a film that you will never forget. It is simple, and it's that simplicity coupled with this young boy's charming and enthusiastic performance that makes this film memorable, enjoyable and probably my favourite from François Truffaut.

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