Les quatre cents coups

1959 France Black / White 99 Minutes

Jean Douchet + Claire Maurier in the 400 blowsPhoto of children in the 400 blowsJean-Pierre Léaud + Guy Decomble in the 400 blows

Review

Photo of Jean-Pierre Léaud12-year-old Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud) lives in a tiny flat with his mother and stepfather, who are poor and generally inattentive. Whenever he is part of some foolery in school, he is the one that is caught. As a result of teaming up with his likewise rebellious classmate René (Patrick Auffay) he gets into trouble constantly in school with pranks and by having failing grades. This leads to his expulsion from school and subsequent running away from home.

Albert Rémy in the 400 blowsAntoine turns to a life of petty crime. He and René steal a typewriter, but Antoine is caught trying to return it. His parents feel they cannot control him and he's sent to another world in a juvenile detention center. Convinced that nobody will help him, Antoine decides to take matters to his own hands and find a way to escape his hell.

 

Cast

Directed by François Truffaut

Links and more

 

Albert Rémy + Claire Maurier in the 400 blows

Trivia

Release date: May 4, 1959

René was based on the real life friend of Truffaut Robert Lachenay (+-1930 - 2005). In their adolescent years Lachenay and Truffaut were partners in crime. Source / More (Web)

The movie was based on Truffaut’s life. He was born to a 17 year old mother who turned him over to a wetnurse and later to her mother. In the meantime his mother married Rolland Truffaut. And Francois also took refuge in Cinema and Literature. Source / More (Book)

The title of the film comes from the French idiom “Faire les quatre cents coups”. Coup means blow but can also mean stunt or trick. The expression means: Going round and doing what you want in an anarchic sort of way. Source / More (Web)

Director Kurosawa: “One of the most beautiful films that I have ever seen”

Bibliography


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