The 400 Blows (1959)
12-month trend
12-month trend
Monthly article views
2025-09 to 2026-08
A misunderstood adolescent in Paris struggles against the constraints of his parents and school, leading to a series of rebellious acts.
The story
Antoine Doinel is a young boy growing up in Paris who is frequently misunderstood by his parents for skipping school and stealing. At school, he is tormented by his teacher for disciplinary problems, such as writing on the classroom wall. After his teacher accuses him of plagiarizing Balzac, Antoine quits school. He attempts to finance his plans to leave home by stealing a Royal typewriter from his stepfather's workplace, but he is apprehended while trying to return it. This leads to a series of conflicts with authority figures and his family as he navigates his rebellious behavior.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
Antoine Doinel is a young boy growing up in Paris who is misunderstood by his parents for skipping school and stealing, and tormented by his teacher for disciplinary issues. After being accused of plagiarism, Antoine quits school and steals a typewriter from his stepfather's workplace to fund his escape, but is caught and spends a night in jail with prostitutes and thieves. During a court interview, his mother confesses that the stepfather is not his biological father. Antoine is sent to an observation center for troubled youths near the seashore. There, a psychologist seeks to understand his unhappiness through a series of fragmented monologues. While playing football, Antoine escapes the center and runs toward the ocean, which he has always wanted to see. He reaches the shoreline and runs into the water. The film ends with a freeze-frame of Antoine's face as he looks into the camera.
- First release year
- 1959
- Runtime (minutes)
- 99
- Production countries
- France
- Original languages
- French
- Directors
- François Truffaut
- Writers
- François Truffaut · writer; Marcel Moussy · writer
- Cast and characters
- Jean-Pierre Léaud · Antoine Doinel; Albert Rémy · Julien Doinel, Antoine's stepfather; Claire Maurier · Gilberte Doinel, Antoine's mother; Guy Decomble · Sourpuss, schoolteacher; Patrick Auffay · René Bigey, Antoine's best friend; Georges Flamant · Monsieur Bigey, René's father; Pierre Repp · an English teacher; Daniel Couturier · Betrand Mauricet
- Genres
- coming-of-age drama
- Themes
- juvenile delinquency; childhood; injustice in juvenile treatment; semi-autobiographical
- Tone and mood
- honest; sympathetic; heartbreaking
- Premise and plot tags
- coming-of-age; semi-autobiographical; French New Wave; juvenile delinquency
- Franchise connections
- Antoine Doinel series
- Reception
- The film was widely acclaimed upon release, winning several awards and being ranked as one of the best films ever made in various polls. It is considered a seminal French New Wave film that offers a sympathetic observation of adolescence.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 99% · review count: 71; Rotten Tomatoes · score: 9.4 · scale: 10
- Production trivia
- The English title is a literal translation of the French idiom 'faire les quatre cents coups', meaning 'to raise hell'.; The film was ranked 50th in the 2022 Sight & Sound critics' poll of the greatest films ever made.; The film was ranked #29 in Empire magazine's list of 'The 100 Best Films of World Cinema' in 2010.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
Your lists
Loading your lists…