The 400 Blows Patched
The 400 Blows: A Rebel With a Cause (and a Camera) In 1959, a young man who had just spent years trashing the French film establishment as a critic walked into the Cannes Film Festival with his own movie. That man was François Truffaut , and the film was The 400 Blows (original title: Les Quatre Cents Coups
The film is famously semi-autobiographical. It follows Antoine Doinel (played by a mesmerizing Jean-Pierre Léaud the 400 blows
Legacy
- Oscar nomination (Best Original Screenplay, 1960)
- Best Director at Cannes (Truffaut, 1959)
- Launched the French New Wave internationally
- Inspired countless coming-of-age films (The 400 Blows → The 200 Blows? No — but you see its DNA in Boyhood, Ratcatcher, Kes, Moonlight)
- The freeze-frame finale has been homaged endlessly (see: Butch Cassidy, The French Connection, Goodfellas’ last shot)
A child isn’t born rebellious — he’s made that way by the adults who won’t listen. The 400 Blows: A Rebel With a Cause
7. Discussion Questions
- How does the film make you feel about Antoine’s mother? Is she a villain, or is she a victim of her own circumstances?
- How does the portrayal of the school differ from modern portrayals of education in film?
- Why do you think the title is translated as "The 400 Blows"? (Note: The French idiom faire les quatre cents coups means "to raise hell" or "to live a wild life," but the literal translation suggests physical punishment).
- What do you think happens to Antoine after the screen freezes?
Léo almost laughed. Worry required love. His mother had cried only once over him—the day his real father stopped sending checks. Those tears weren’t for Léo. They were for money. A child isn’t born rebellious — he’s made
Background and Context