The 400 Blows (Les Quatre cents coups) (1959)
89%RT Audience Score:
Awards & Nominations: NA
A seminal French New Wave film that offers an honest, sympathetic, and wholly heartbreaking observation of adolescence without trite nostalgia
The 400 Blows is a classic film that has stood the test of time. Critics have raved about its authenticity, wonderful performances, and examination of youth. Truffaut’s natural direction is a master stroke for this film, and it’s no wonder that it’s considered one of the most moving films ever made about adolescence. But let’s be real, the real star of the show is Antoine Doinel’s hair. That perfectly coiffed mop is a work of art and deserves its own spin-off movie. Move over, Grease, we’ve got a new hair icon in town.
Production Company(ies)
Distributor
Criterion Collection
Release Type
Filming Location(s)
Avenue Frochot, Paris 9, Paris, France
MPAA / Certificate
Not Rated
Year of Release
1959
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Color:Color
Black and White -
Sound mix:Mono
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Aspect ratio:2.35 : 1
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Runtime:1h 33m
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Language(s):French, English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Nov 16, 1959 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): May 9, 2006
Genre(s)
Crime/Drama
Keyword(s)
crime, drama, French New Wave, adolescence, coming-of-age, Paris, neglectful parents, troubled youth, unsympathetic authority figures, schemes, law, inconsiderate adults, friendship, better life, honest observation, sympathetic, heartbreaking, nostalgia, Jean-Pierre Léaud, Claire Maurier, Albert Remy, Patrick Auffray, François Truffaut, Marcel Moussy, directed by François Truffaut, written by François Truffaut, produced by François Truffaut, Criterion Collection, box office performance, budget, reviewed by Peter Bradshaw, Robert Daniels, Hank Sartin, Joshua Rothkopf, Radheyan Simonpillai, Sukhdev Sandhu, Brian Eggert, Manny Farber, Sarah Brinks, Jean-Luc Godard, MPAA rating, crime genre, drama genre, French language, mono sound mix
Worldwide gross: $127,244
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,469,107
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,499
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 160,208
US/Canada gross: $509
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $5,877
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,827
US/Canada opening weekend: $11,206
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $129,380
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,834
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): NA
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): NA
Production budget ranking: NA
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): NA
ROI to date (est.): NA
ROI ranking: NA
Claire Maurier – Gilberte Doinel, the Mother
Albert Remy – Julien Doinel
Guy Decomble – ‘Petite Feuille’, the French teacher
Patrick Auffray – René
Georges Flamant – Mr. Bigey
Director(s)
François Truffaut
Writer(s)
François Truffaut, François Truffaut, Marcel Moussy
Producer(s)
François Truffaut
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
NA
Academy Awards
All Critics (67) | Top Critics (24) | Fresh (66) | Rotten (1)
A portrait of the artist as an unhappy child.
January 6, 2022 | Rating: 5/5
Peter Bradshaw
Guardian
TOP CRITIC
[The 400 Blows’] most prevalent connection to the then burgeoning French New Wave is its message of freedom
March 18, 2019
Robert Daniels
812filmreviews
TOP CRITIC
November 18, 2011 | Rating: 5/5
Hank Sartin
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
November 17, 2011 | Rating: 5/5
Joshua Rothkopf
Time Out
TOP CRITIC
Truffaut brought a fresh and piercingly honest portrayal of troubled youth to the screen. In many ways, Antonie Doinel is not only the cinematic embodiment of Truffaut, but also the French New Wave as a whole.
June 7, 2010 | Rating: 90/100
Radheyan Simonpillai
AskMen.com
TOP CRITIC
What is there to say about The 400 Blows that hasn’t already been said?
April 23, 2009 | Rating: 5/5
Sukhdev Sandhu
Daily Telegraph (UK)
TOP CRITIC
The 400 Blows makes one wish Truffaut had allowed it to be a singular work, as the possibility contained within the film’s final shot remains one of the most compellingly equivocal yet moving images in all of cinema.
March 2, 2022 | Rating: 4/4
Brian Eggert
Deep Focus Review
Truffaut has a knack for communicating the uneasiness of life about him, of the fussy and despoiled, though too often he achieves it by diddling his people and situations annoyingly like a piano player stoically hitting the same sour note.
September 15, 2021
Manny Farber
The New Leader
I have to say I really enjoyed The 400 Blows. Its authenticity, wonderful performances, and examination of youth made the film impactful and easy to watch.
March 24, 2021
Sarah Brinks
Battleship Pretension
To sum up, what shall I say? This: Les 400 Coups will be a film signed Frankness. Rapidity. Art. Novelty. Cinematograph. Originality. Impertinence. Seriousness. Tragedy. Renovation. Ubu-Roi. Fantasy. Ferocity. Affection. Universality. Tenderness.
February 2, 2021
Jean-Luc Godard
Cahiers du Cinéma
Truffaut’s natural direction is a master stroke for this film.
September 8, 2020 | Rating: 3.5/4.0
Richard Propes
TheIndependentCritic.com
One of the most moving films ever made about adolescence.
August 11, 2020
Allen Almachar
The MacGuffin…
Plot
Seemingly in constant trouble at school, 14-year-old Antoine Doinel returns at the end of every day to a drab, unhappy home life. His parents have little money and he sleeps on a couch that’s been pushed into the kitchen. His parents bicker constantly and he knows his mother is having an affair. He decides to skip school and begins a downward spiral of lies and theft. His parents are at their wits’ end, and after he’s stopped by the police, they decide the best thing would be to let Antoine face the consequences. He’s sent to a juvenile detention facility where he doesn’t do much better. He does manage to escape however.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
No goofy or funny or odd comments were found in the Fresh Kernels database for “The 400 Blows.”
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