The 400 Blows (Les Quatre cents coups) (1959)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Tim S

  
  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… More
  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 coming 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.

• Alexander D

  
  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 screenplay,… More
  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 screenplay, 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.

• familiar s

  
  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.

• Chris W

  
  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… More
  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've 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.

• Daniel P

  
  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 Punish.… More
  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 Punish. 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.

• Tsubaki S

  
  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… More
  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 then, what's the point?

• Thomas B

  
  Despite being made in 1959, the 50 years has done little to diminish this film's power or relevance. Full review later.

• Jan Marc M

  
  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… More
  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 purposeful cinematic rebellion.

• Melvin W

  
  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… More
  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 plays 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.

• Reid V

  
  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… More
  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 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.

• AJ V

  
  This is the first Truffaut movie I've actually liked. The story is brilliant and realistic, the kid actors are good, and you can really relate to them. I liked this movie.

• Dan S

  
  A mostly excellent, well-aimed look at a troubled youth (Jean-Pierre Leaud) who keeps digging himself deeper and deeper into the underbelly of city-life, refusing to obey his bi-polar parents and thus becoming a criminal on the run from authority, whether it be parental, school-wise,… More
  A mostly excellent, well-aimed look at a troubled youth (Jean-Pierre Leaud) who keeps digging himself deeper and deeper into the underbelly of city-life, refusing to obey his bi-polar parents and thus becoming a criminal on the run from authority, whether it be parental, school-wise, or the police. What Truffaut wants to do is completely connect the viewer to his lead character, who is a misunderstood, confused individual who is falling fast. This mostly works, but sometimes you can't feel that sorry for him seeing how he's a character that doesn't care about himself evidently. I will say this is one of the longest 100 minutes films I've seen, but it's definitely one that has a lot to say about hypocrisy from figures in charge, as well as how usually the ones who fall through the cracks can be prevented from doing so - but our arrogance takes center stage over compassion.

• Nelson P

  
  In viewing François Truffaut's The 400 Blows for perhaps the fifth time, I finally began to realize its true greatness. Inspired by the director's childhood, The 400 Blows (Truffaut's first film) is primarily about a young boy growing up with his mother and stepfather… More
  In viewing François Truffaut's The 400 Blows for perhaps the fifth time, I finally began to realize its true greatness. Inspired by the director's childhood, The 400 Blows (Truffaut's first film) is primarily about a young boy growing up with his mother and stepfather in Paris and apparently heading into a life of crime. Most adults see the boy as a troublemaker, but in the film, he is meant to be the protagonist.Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud) is the boy's name. He is resourceful, quiet, and does what he can to get by. At home, he has a struggling relationship with his parents, especially his mother. She is a woman of curious interests, always distracted by her incommodious son and a secret affair with a man from her job. Antoine's stepfather appears nice enough while treating his son as an equal in a good manner, although he is not really attached to him. However, both parents share common traits: they are away from home quite a bit and do not pay close enough attention to their son. Sadly enough, they only judge him by his behavior and by reports they get from other people.At school, Antoine's teacher classifies him as a menacing troublemaker. Not that it is entirely Antoine's fault, he just has terrible luck. In the opening scene of the film, we see a poster with a half-naked woman on the front being passed around quietly by the students. The teacher is sitting at his desk with his head down, grading papers, until the poster comes to Antoine and he finds it. He sends Antoine to the corner of the room, where he writes a note of resentment on the wall. As punishment for that, he is to diagram the exact words that he wrote. At home that night, Antoine's homework is interrupted. Because he did not complete it, his good friend René convinces him to skip school the next day, although Antoine is reluctant at first. They walk around France and notice Antoine's mother kissing a man that is not her husband. She and her son make eye contact, but René assures his friend that everything will be alright. The next morning, as the boys return to school, Antoine lies to his teacher and says the reason he missed school was that his mother died. Everything is alright until his mother, furious, arrives at school and her son is immediately identified as a liar.And yet, we see Antoine alone at home in some private, subtle, and hopeful moments. One of them being, his love for Balzac. He adores him, and we see him reading his biography and lighting a candle in a shrine in his honor at home. One day, at school, the students are proposed to write an essay on an important event in their life, and Antoine chooses the topic of his grandfather's death, in which he incorporates a phrase from his Balzac book. Alas, the teacher identifies this as plagiarism, and sends Antoine out of the classroom, along with René. The two boys stay at René's house for quite some time, living up to the expectations of a life of crime, until they steal a typewriter leaving Antoine caught trying to return it. He is later sent to a juvenile delinquent detention home.The 400 Blows is not meant to be a tragedy. Rather, it is a character study following Antoine Doinel's life and decisions he makes as a direct result of the many things going on in it. Even The 400 Blows captures a few moments of happiness joy. One of these is a priceless sequence in which a gym teacher is leading Antoine's class for a jog through Paris, not realizing that the boys are peeling off and running away two by two. There is another scene after Antoine's shrine for Balzac catches on fire and his parents are stressing and yelling at him. His mother suggests an outing to a movie theater, where they end up going. After the film, we see the trio in the car, laughing and reflecting on what they had seen. We see this as a moment of hope for Antoine and his family, for this being the only time they are all happy together.There are many poignant moments however, emerging late in the film after Antoine is caught for stealing the typewriter. His father is fed up with his behavior and escorts him to a police station where he is sent to a jail cell and later in a police wagon full of prostitutes and thieves, with his face peering through the bars, full of tears. His parents discuss with the authorities that they cannot not take him back because they believe he will only run away again. So, in turn, their son is taken to the juvenile delinquent school. These sequences express a reality of Antoine's life, in tune with the outcome of himself. He remains quiet and reserved towards the end of the film, as if he has nothing to say.The story of Antoine Doinel and his many experiences allow a life to be filled with curiosity and exploration. Every second of the ninety-nine minutes of the film is not wasted. Truffaut allows every minute to be overflowing with creativity while still maintaining the central story of the protagonist. It is not a film that can be taken lightly as a family movie to be watched every Saturday night. It is a film to be given plenty of thought, carefully examined, and given a conclusion. The genius of the film does not rely on that, moreover, it relies on how much is put into the film. Down to the smallest detail, the film is able to maneuver and progress. The story contains elements of sadness, regret, family, warmth, happiness, humor, values, and choices. Just like life itself.

• Leigh R

  
  Well done film.

• Cindy I

  
  Moving coming af age film from Francois Truffaut. Antoine Doinel -- brilliantly played by Jean-Pierre Leaud -- is an adolescent boy whose parents don't seem to particularly care for him, and his teacher -- a sadistic prick with anger-control issues -- seems to single him out for… More
  Moving coming af age film from Francois Truffaut. Antoine Doinel -- brilliantly played by Jean-Pierre Leaud -- is an adolescent boy whose parents don't seem to particularly care for him, and his teacher -- a sadistic prick with anger-control issues -- seems to single him out for abuse. He eventually starts running away from home, sleeping in the streets or at friends' homes, and getting in trouble -- lying, skipping school, shoplifting, etc. After trying to understand him and using several types of discipline, his parents eventually give up parental rights so Antoine can be sent to a alternative school. He runs away again, and ends up at the edge of the ocean. Does this edge represent the limits on his life -- that he can only go so far? Or does the vastness of the ocean represent the distances he can go? Leaud's performance makes this child completely believable. Even though he has his problems --mostly typically age-related ones if you ask me -- you feel sympathy for him because he seems like a smart (he reads Balzac for fun), good kid. He just had the misfortune of being born into trying circumstances. The unveiling of why his mother doesn't like him hit me like a punch in the chest. ANY child learning about this can't help but feel unwanted. There is an interview with the boy, which I hear was a completely unscripted one completed when he was being considered for the role, where Leaud candidly answers questions about his life, including his flowering sex drive. The look on his face when the interviewer asked him if he'd ever had sex with a woman is priceless. Sad at times, as well as funny and infuriating, this film should be on everyone's must-see list.

• First L

  
  400 Blows is a claustrophobic look at childhood, where it always seems to be christmas time. Christmas is used as a metaphor for childhood (and what better metaphor than the innocent, childlike joy that represents that holiday), and yet the christmas as it appears in the movie is… More
  400 Blows is a claustrophobic look at childhood, where it always seems to be christmas time. Christmas is used as a metaphor for childhood (and what better metaphor than the innocent, childlike joy that represents that holiday), and yet the christmas as it appears in the movie is dingy and a little seedy. The first instance is simply a "merry christmas" message painted in a store window. Next, it's a seedy-looking santa walking by on the street, and finally in a run-down christmas tree at the juvenile prison camp. Jean-Pierre Leaud does a fine job of portraying the lost boy who always seems to be running away from something. He seems cold and distant towards the adults for most of the movie, that is until a revealing interview with a psychiatrist shows a boy who's inner turmoil is largely a product of his environment and the hypocrisy of adults. He's a boy looking for answers in the world and no one seems to have them. He commits crimes in escalating seriousness, until he's finally sent to a juvenile detention camp. There he meets similar boys, and we hear snippets of overheard conversation: "Whenever I'd cry, my father would play his violin, mimicking my crying. One day it drove me so crazy, I belted him one- If MY father would've done that to me, I'd have KILLED him!". Few movies capture the alienated youth quite as well (maybe for a modern example, you could point to the film, "Kids"). It all captures that wonderful, modern trend of trying to keep our children young and innocent for as long as we can. Movies like 400 Blows and Kids reveal that all of parents worst nitemares about adolescence are probably true, our children are individuals who will grow up good or bad, depending on how we let them grow.

• Jennifer D

  
  Cute little film. I would totally watch this again

• Anthony L

  
  The birth of 'New-wave', Truffaut's masterpiece still stands today as one of the most important films ever made. The story of a misunderstood adolescent and the end of the 50's still feels contemporary even now, 50 years after it was made!

• Stefanie C

  
  an amazing, realistic, and lyrical film capturing the angst of adolescence. the final frame is haunting...

• Kalel J

  
  Truaffaut's command over the proceedings of 'The 400 Blows' is an inspiring aspect of a commendable film. The notions of the modern day "wolf story" are infused into the life of an impoverished youth, and through the boy's seeming struggles the screenplay… More
  Truaffaut's command over the proceedings of 'The 400 Blows' is an inspiring aspect of a commendable film. The notions of the modern day "wolf story" are infused into the life of an impoverished youth, and through the boy's seeming struggles the screenplay asks - and wants - the audience to connect with the child and to feel a sorrowness for him. Unfortunately - we don't. The character hones his shovel well as his pit is dug further as the film progresses. Regardless though, it is Truffaut's command and the general aesthetic and pleasing moments of the film that win it over.

Read all 20 featured audience ratings