The 400 Blows (1959)
The 400 Blows (1959), written and directed by François Truffaut, is another classic from the French New Wave.
The 400 Blows (1959), written and directed by François Truffaut, is another classic from the French New Wave. Inspired by his own life, Truffaut tells the story of a troubled boy named Antoine, who keeps failing to meet the expectations of the adults around him. It is very much a part of this film movement in that intimate and mundane moments are depicted, it’s shot on location throughout Paris, and the characters break the fourth wall when they stare directly into the camera. Like in Breathless (1960), also written by Truffaut, film plays a prominent role: Antoine often skips school to see a movie. It is no surprise that the director once stated, “I demand that a film express either the joy of making cinema or the agony of making cinema. I am not at all interested in anything in between.” How French. Watch The 400 Blows on HBO Max and Kanopy.