The 400 Blows

For other uses, see The 400 Blows (disambiguation).

The 400 Blows
Theatrical release poster
Directed byFrançois Truffaut
Written by
Produced by
  • François Truffaut
  • Georges Charlot[1]
Starring
CinematographyHenri Decaë
Edited byMarie-Josèphe Yoyotte
Music byJean Constantin
Production
company
Les Films du Carrosse
Distributed byCocinor
Release date
  • 4 May 1959 (1959-05-04) (France)
Running time
99 minutes
CountryFrance
LanguageFrench
Box office$30.7 million[2]

The 400 Blows (French: Les quatre cents coups) is a 1959 French coming-of-age drama film,[3] and the directorial debut of François Truffaut, who also co-wrote the film. Shot in the anamorphic format DyaliScope, the film stars Jean-Pierre Léaud, Albert Rémy, and Claire Maurier. One of the defining films of the French New Wave,[4] it displays many of the characteristic traits of the movement. Written by Truffaut and Marcel Moussy, the film is about Antoine Doinel, a misunderstood adolescent in Paris who struggles with his parents and teachers due to his rebellious behavior. Filmed on location in Paris and Honfleur, it is the first in a series of five films in which Léaud plays the semi-autobiographical character.

The 400 Blows received numerous awards and nominations, including the Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Director, the OCIC Award, and a Palme d'Or nomination in 1959, and was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay in 1960. The film had 4.1 million admissions in France, making it Truffaut's most successful film in his home country.[5]

The 400 Blows is widely considered one of the best films ever made; in the 2022 Sight & Sound critics' poll of the greatest films ever made, it was ranked 50th.[6] It ranked 33rd in the directors' poll on the same list.

  1. ^ "The 400 Blows Cast/ Credits". Criterion. Archived from the original on 28 July 2012. Retrieved 5 August 2012.
  2. ^ Box Office information for Francois Truffaut films Archived 27 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine at Box Office Story
  3. ^ "The 400 Blows review – François Truffaut's coming-of-age masterwork". The Guardian. 6 January 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2022.
  4. ^ Zeitchik, Steve (23 October 2016). "Growth Spurt". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 23 November 2016. Retrieved 5 August 2020.
  5. ^ "Les Quatre cents coups". J.P.'s Box-Office. Archived from the original on 20 April 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2012.
  6. ^ "The Greatest Films Poll". bfi.org.uk. BFI. Archived from the original on 14 January 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2024.