Le Quatre cents coups
(The 400 Blows)
(alternative spellings: "Les 400 coups" and "The Four Hundred Blows")

France (1959): Crime/Drama

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 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 Rémy) 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. Running away again, Antoine pauses at the edge of the sea, pondering his future -- at which point the film ends.

Originally intended as a 20 minute short, The 400 Blows was expanded into a feature when Truffaut decided to elaborate on his self-analysis. Better seen than described, the film has a free-flowing form that makes it feel as if it is being made up as it goes along. For the benefit of Truffaut's fellow film buffs, The 400 Blows is full of brief references to favorite directors, notably Truffault'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. (Le Films du Carrosse-Sédif Prod./Zenith Int'l) (Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide)

 View a theatrical trailer for this film on YouTube.com.

1 nomination