Archive Cinema City 2009.
Genre: Drama
Synopsis:
For his feature-film debut, critic-turned-director François Truffaut drew inspiration from his own troubled childhood. The 400 Blows stars Jean-Pierre Léaud as Antoine Doinel, Truffaut's preteen alter ego. Misunderstood at home by his parents and tormented in school by his insensitive teacher (Guy Decomble), Antoine frequently runs away from both places. The boy finally quits school after being accused of plagiarism by his teacher. He steals a typewriter from his father (Albert Remy) to finance his plans to leave home. The father angrily turns Antoine over to the police, who lock the boy up with hardened criminals. A psychiatrist at a delinquency center probes Antoine's unhappiness, which he reveals in a fragmented series of monologues.
Originally intended as a 20-minute short, The 400 Blows was expanded into a feature when Truffaut decided to elaborate on his self-analysis. For the benefit of Truffaut's fellow film buffs, The 400 Blows is full of brief references to favorite directors, notably Truffaut's then-idol Jean Vigo. The film won the 1959 Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival, even though Truffaut had been declared persona non grata the year before for his inflammatory comments about the festival's commercialism.
Trailer
Nominations:
Best Writing, Story and Screenplay - Written Directly for the Screen, 1960 Academy Awards, USA
Best Film from any Source, Most Promising Newcomer to Leading Film Roles (Jean-Pierre Léaud), 1961 BAFTA Awards
Golden Palm, 1959 Cannes Film Festival
Awards:
Best European Film, 1960 Bodil Awards
Best Director, OCIC Award, 1959 Cannes Film Festival
Best Film, 1960 French Syndicate of Cinema Critics
Best Foreign Language Film, 1959 New York Film Critics Circle Awards
Best Foreign Director, 1961 Sant Jordi Awards
