The 400 Blows

( 11 )

Overview

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 ...
See more details below
DVD (Wide Screen / B&W)
$29.00
BN.com price
(Save 3%)$29.99 List Price
Pick Up In Store

Pick Up In Store

Reserve and pick up in 60 minutes at your local store

Other sellers (DVD)
  • All (13) from $14.36   
  • New (10) from $22.19   
  • Used (3) from $14.36   

More About This Product

Overview

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.
Read More Show Less

Special Features

New, restored high-definition digital transfer; Two audio commentaries: one by cinema professor Brian Stonehill and another by François Truffaut's lifelong friend Robert Lachenay; Rare audition footage of Jean-Pierre Léaud, Patrick Auffay, and Richard Kanayan; Newsreel footage of Léaud in Cannes for the showing of The 400 Blows; Excerpt from a French TV program with Truffaut discussing his youth, critical writings, and the origins of Antoine Doinel; Television interview with Truffaut about the global financial reception of The 400 Blows and his own critical impression of the film; Theatrical trailer; New and improved English subtitle translation
Read More Show Less

Editorial Reviews

All Movie Guide - Lucia Bozzola
Dedicating the film to his mentor André Bazin, 27-year-old critic-turned-director François Truffaut put his critical views into practice in his debut feature, The 400 Blows (1959). Unlike the French "Tradition of Quality" literary adaptations that he reviled, Truffaut looked to his own childhood for the source of Antoine Doinel's delinquent exploits in The 400 Blows, evoking Jean Vigo's Zero for Conduct (1933). Inspired by the stylistics of favorites like Orson Welles and Jean Renoir, Truffaut's moving camera and long takes, combined with location shooting and natural sound, lent Antoine's tribulations a fresh, fluid immediacy that caught critics' and audiences' attention. His innovative final freeze-frame suspending Antoine in an indeterminate future spawned numerous imitations. The Cannes Film Festival gave The 400 Blows the Best Director prize one year after banning Truffaut for his critical harshness; the New York Film Critics' Circle awarded it Best Foreign Film. Released the same year as Alain Resnais' Hiroshima Mon Amour and Jean-Luc Godard's Breathless, The 400 Blows' international success helped put Truffaut at the forefront of the nascent French New Wave. He would continue Antoine Doinel's story in three more features, Stolen Kisses (1968), Bed and Board (1970), Love on the Run (1979), and one short, Antoine and Colette (1962).
Read More Show Less

Product Details

  • Release Date: 5/9/2006
  • UPC: 715515017527
  • Original Release: 1959

    • Rating:

  • Source: Criterion
  • Region Code: 1
  • Presentation: Wide Screen / B&W
  • Language: Français
  • Time: 1:39:00
  • Format: DVD
  • Sales rank: 25,436

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits
Jean-Pierre Léaud Antoine Doinel
Robert Beauvais School Director
Claire Maurier Mme. Doinel
Albert Remy M. Doinel
Guy Decomble The French Teacher
Patrick Auffay Rene Bigey
Luc Andrieux Gym Teacher
Jean-Claude Brialy Man in street
Christian Brocard Man with Typewriter
Yvonne Claudie Mme Bigey
Daniel Couturier Boy
Jacques Demy Policeman
Jean Douchet The lover
Georges Flament M. Bigey
Renaud Fontanarosa Boy
Richard Kanayan Abbou
Marius Laurey Police Clerk
Claude Mansard Examining Magistrate
Serge Moati Boy
Folco Jacques Monod Commissioner
Jeanne Moreau Woman with Dog
Pierre Repp The English Teacher
François Truffaut Man in Funfair
Henri Virlojeux Night Watchman
Technical Credits
François Truffaut Director, Producer, Screenwriter
Jean Constantin Score Composer
Philippe de Broca Asst. Director
Henri Decaë Cinematographer
Bernard Evein Art Director
Marcel Moussy Screenwriter
Marie-Josephe Yoyotte Editor
Read More Show Less

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- The 400 Blows
1. No Recess [5:13]
2. Indicative, Conditional, Subjunctive [5:06]
3. Latchkey Kid [4:49]
4. Mother and Father [4:05]
5. Matinee [5:00]
6. Stolen Kiss [6:30]
7. Maximum Punishment [4:55]
8. Food and Shelter [5:53]
9. Pampered [4:35]
10. Smaller and Smaller [1:31]
11. For Balzac [3:36]
12. Momentary Happiness [1:45]
13. Suspended [7:06]
14. Up to No Good [4:13]
15. Childhood Magic [1:44]
16. Heist [5:50]
17. "We've Tried Everything" [4:08]
18. Behind Bars [7:07]
19. Negotiation [1:14]
20. Juvenile Detention [3:44]
21. Psychological Questioning [3:40]
22. Visitors [2:20]
23. Antoine Runs Away [5:17]
1. Out of the Studio [5:13]
2. Mind-Numbing Routine [5:06]
3. Liberty, Equality, Fraternity [4:49]
4. A Mixed Experience [4:05]
5. A Proustian Moment/Freedom [5:00]
6. Children's P.O.V. [6:30]
7. Betrayal/Handheld Camera [4:55]
8. Casting/Jeanne Moreau [5:53]
9. Lachenay's Letters/Phony Love [4:35]
10. "Pied Piper in Reverse" [1:31]
11. Honoré de Balzac [3:36]
12. Mirror Play/Mirth [1:45]
13. Creativity in Imitation [7:06]
14. Living With Lachenay [4:13]
15. Power of Spectacle [1:44]
16. Typewriter Theft [5:50]
17. A Personal Account [4:08]
18. Bazin/"Juvenile Identity Crisis" [7:07]
19. Deepest Marks [1:14]
20. Dubbed Dialogue/Dickensian Flavor [3:44]
21. Utter Believability [3:40]
22. First-Person Cinema [2:20]
23. Three Shots [5:17]
1. Meeting Truffaut [5:13]
2. A Strong Personality/Friendship [5:06]
3. Mother/Unrealistic Toughness [4:49]
4. A Horrible Childhood [4:05]
5. The Leader/À la Hitchcock [5:00]
6. 3-4 Years [6:30]
7. Making Excuses [4:55]
8. Recognizable Faces [5:53]
9. An Important Question/M.O.S. [4:35]
10. A Common Experience [1:31]
11. Men and Women [3:36]
12. Repeat Viewers [1:45]
13. Odd Jobs/Kicked Out [7:06]
14. Regarding Adults [4:13]
15. The Laughter of Children [1:44]
16. Pawning/Like a Documentary [5:50]
17. Adults Are the Enemy/Debt [4:08]
18. Warehouse [7:07]
19. Lack of Acceptance [1:14]
20. A Sentimental Person [3:44]
21. TV Aesthetic [3:40]
22. True Love/Guilt [2:20]
23. Sequels [5:17]
Read More Show Less

Menu

Disc #1 -- The 400 Blows
   Play the Movie
   Chapters
   Commentaries
      Stonehill Commentary
      Stonehill Index
      Lachenay Commentary
      Lachenay Index
      Commentaries Off
   Psychological Profile
      Auditions
         Play
      Cannes 1959
         Play
      Cinéastes de Notre Temps
         Play
      Cinépanorama
         Play
      Theatrical Trailer
   Set-Up
      Audio Options
         Dolby Digital Mono
         Stonehill Commentary
         Lachenay Commentary
      Feature Subtitles
         Feature Subtitles: On
         Feature Subtitles: Off
      Color Bars
Read More Show Less

Customer Reviews

Average Rating 4.5
( 11 )
Rating Distribution

5 Star

(10)

4 Star

(0)

3 Star

(0)

2 Star

(1)

1 Star

(0)

Your Rating:

Review Guidelines
Add Recommendations
Your Name: Create a Pen Name or

Barnes & Noble.com Review Rules

Our reader reviews allow you to share your comments on titles you liked, or didn't, with others. By submitting an online review, you are representing to Barnes & Noble.com that all information contained in your review is original and accurate in all respects, and that the submission of such content by you and the posting of such content by Barnes & Noble.com does not and will not violate the rights of any third party. Please follow the rules below to help ensure that your review can be posted.

Reviews by Our Customers Under the Age of 13

We highly value and respect everyone's opinion concerning the titles we offer. However, we cannot allow persons under the age of 13 to have accounts at BN.com or to post customer reviews. Please see our Terms of Use for more details.

What to exclude from your review:

Please do not write about reviews, commentary, or information posted on the product page. If you see any errors in the information on the product page, please send us an email.

Reviews should not contain any of the following:

  • - HTML tags, profanity, obscenities, vulgarities, or comments that defame anyone
  • - Time-sensitive information such as tour dates, signings, lectures, etc.
  • - Single-word reviews. Other people will read your review to discover why you liked or didn't like the title. Be descriptive.
  • - Comments focusing on the author or that may ruin the ending for others
  • - Phone numbers, addresses, URLs
  • - Pricing and availability information or alternative ordering information
  • - Advertisements or commercial solicitation

Reminder:

  • - By submitting a review, you grant to Barnes & Noble.com and its sublicensees the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable right and license to use the review in accordance with the Barnes & Noble.com Terms of Use.
  • - Barnes & Noble.com reserves the right not to post any review -- particularly those that do not follow the terms and conditions of these Rules. Barnes & Noble.com also reserves the right to remove any review at any time without notice.
  • - See Terms of Use for other conditions and disclaimers.
Search for Products You'd Like to Recommend

Recommend other products that relate to your review. Just search for them below and share!

Create a Pen Name

Your Pen Name is your unique identity on BN.com. It will appear on the reviews you write and other website activities. Your Pen Name cannot be edited, changed or deleted once submitted.

 
Your Pen Name can be any combination of alphanumeric characters (plus - and _), and must be at least two characters long.

Continue Anonymously
Sort by: Showing all of 11 Customer Reviews

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    A Brilliant Debut

    This was the first film from the late famed French director Francios Truffaut. It tells the story of a 14-year old boy who unwittingly becomes a delinquent from school and who runs away from home to escape from his constantly bickering parents. Jean-Pierre Leaud is the boy in question and he gives a remarkable and believable performance and even up to that infamous final shot, leaves you breathless as you feel for this poor boy and what he's struggling through with in life. Highly recommended for all film fans to have in their permanent collections.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Posted October 1, 2010

    more from this reviewer

    I Also Recommend:

    La Dolce Vita

    International Cinema At It's Finest...

    I just viewed 400 Blows and was taken back by the quality of work; Performances, Cinematography, Direction, and overall Story. This film isn't like any other film of its time. A few years before the release of the International Breakthrough Classic "La Dolce Vita," this film has as much style and taste as Fellini's milestone. In my mind, the visual setting of Paris is astounding and beautifully shot to the point where the Cinematography shots stand even against todays standards and gives a real true feeling of the real Paris, just like Fellini did with Rome in "La Dolce Vita," but I think that "400 Blows" gives a more intimate portrait of Paris. The story is one that touches the soul and anybody whose ever had a little bad luck growing up, with school or family or even friends will symphathize with the character. It seems that Leaud's character is a good boy who has a strew of bad luck. The story really makes you feel for the character. Overall, I was highly impressed and I now have to buy the DVD. This is definitely a landmark film and anybody who is a Film Buff will enjoy this feature as if it were a contemporary film.

    Was this review helpful? Yes  NoThank you for your feedback.   Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.

  • Anonymous

    Posted September 24, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 12, 2011

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted February 4, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted June 30, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 14, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 29, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted December 5, 2008

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted July 18, 2009

    No text was provided for this review.

  • Anonymous

    Posted November 6, 2010

    No text was provided for this review.

Sort by: Showing all of 11 Customer Reviews