The 400 Blows
A defiant Parisian teenager spirals through school, family conflict, petty crime, and detention while searching for a freedom no adult institution can offer.
Overview
A poignant exploration of youth and rebellion in post-war Paris, where a boy's struggles reflect the harsh realities of life.
Ember's analysis
- Pacing
- Brisk
- Intensity
- Strong
- Complexity
- Layered
- Violence
- Mild
- melancholic
- witty
- restless
- arthouse film night
- film school viewing
What critics said
Critics widely regard it as a seminal French New Wave film, praising its honest, sympathetic, and heartbreaking observation of adolescence.
What sets it apart
May contain story progression spoilers
The film is a seminal French New Wave work directed by François Truffaut, combining location-based Paris scenes with a personal, anti-formulaic account of adolescence.
Antoine moves between an unhappy home, school discipline, police custody, and juvenile detention as each institution fails to understand him.
The film is identified as semi autobiographical and follows Antoine through school, family conflict, petty theft, and detention.
Antoine’s repeated escapes, school absences, and movement through Paris are rendered through patient observational scenes and expressive tracking shots.
Films like The 400 Blows, and why
The 400 Blows
shared french new wave experimentation, adolescent alienation, and intimate social realism
Kes
shared coming of age focus, rebellious youth, and emotionally observant realism
Jules and Jim
shared french new wave style, youthful restlessness, and bittersweet romanticism
The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner
shared troubled adolescence, institutional neglect, and compassionate social realism
Pixote
shared black-and-white urban realism, delinquency, and sympathetic attention to marginalized youth
Movie Details
- Director
- François Truffaut
- Release Date
- 1959-06-03
- Runtime
- 99 min
- Rating
- 8.0 / 10 (2394)
Cast
- Jean-Pierre Léaud
- Claire Maurier
- Albert Rémy
- Georges Flamant
- Patrick Auffay
- Robert Beauvais
- Yvonne Claudie
- Pierre Repp
- Guy Decomble
- Daniel Couturier
Where to watch in United States
- Streaming
- HBO Max Amazon Channel
- Rent
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
- Buy
- Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Fandango At Home
Streaming options come from TMDB and change over time.
Common questions
- What is The 400 Blows about?
- A defiant Parisian teenager spirals through school, family conflict, petty crime, and detention while searching for a freedom no adult institution can offer.
- What is The 400 Blows like to watch?
- Ember's analysis rates the pacing of The 400 Blows as brisk, its intensity as strong and its storytelling as layered.
- Is The 400 Blows violent?
- Only mildly. Ember rates the violence in The 400 Blows as mild.
- What did critics think of The 400 Blows?
- Critics widely regard it as a seminal French New Wave film, praising its honest, sympathetic, and heartbreaking observation of adolescence.
- Which films are like The 400 Blows?
- Films with a similar feel include The 400 Blows, Kes, Jules and Jim, The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner, and Pixote.
- How long is The 400 Blows?
- The 400 Blows runs 99 minutes.
- Where can I watch The 400 Blows?
- In United States, The 400 Blows streams on HBO Max Amazon Channel.
