The 400 Blows is the first chapter in the life of director Francois Truffaud's cinematic alter-ego, Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud). Antoine is not so much of a troublemaker as he is unlucky. His exploits, at least early in the film, are no different from those of his school classmates - except he's the one who gets caught and punished. Even when Antoine tries to do something right, it turns out wrong. Antoine's home life isn't much better. His mother (Claire Maurier), who gave birth to Antoine after an unwanted pregnancy, spends as much time away from home as she can. When she's with her son, she has difficulty controlling her impatience with him. His stepfather (Albert Rémy) is sometimes friendly and companionable, but, on other occasions, he's short-tempered and grumpy. Neither parent seems to care much about what happens to Antoine. To them, he's an inconvenience who cannot be ignored. When something goes wrong at school, they immediately adopt the teachers' position without listening to Antoine's perspective. One day when he gets in trouble, he deduces that it would be better to run away than go home.
Director:
François Truffaut
Year:
1959
Country:
Fra
Cast:
Jean-Pierre Léaud, Albert Rémy, Claire Maurier
Classification:
PG
Certification:
L