The 400 Blows [exclusive] -

Truffaut himself had a troubled childhood, was sent to a reformatory, and was rescued by film critic André Bazin (to whom the film is dedicated). Antoine’s pain feels lived-in, not performed.

He was just a boy who had taken 400 blows and was still standing. the 400 blows

The title itself, a literal translation of the French idiom "faire les quatre cents coups," means "to raise hell" or "to sow one's wild oats." Yet, Antoine isn't a juvenile delinquent by nature. He is a child seeking connection in a world that offers only "blows"—from a cramped apartment where he is treated as an inconvenience to a school system that demands mindless conformity. Breaking the Rules: Style and Technique Truffaut himself had a troubled childhood, was sent

The film follows (Jean-Pierre Léaud), a 12-year-old boy in Paris. He’s a sensitive but restless child neglected by his self-absorbed mother and stepfather. Antoine skips school, lies to cover for his father, and steals a typewriter to return it (hoping for praise) — but is caught. His parents turn him over to the police, and he’s sent to a juvenile observation center. The film ends with his escape and a haunting freeze-frame of Antoine at the sea he’s never seen. The title itself, a literal translation of the