The 400 Blows [Criterion] (DVD)

Francois Truffaut

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Amoeba Review

Tiffany Huang 12/31/1969

Starring: Jean-Pierre L

Synopsis

François Truffaut’s first feature is also his most personal. Told from the point of view of Truffaut’s cinematic counterpart, Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud), The 400 Blows (Les quatre cents coups) sensitively re-creates the trials of Truffaut’s own childhood, unsentimentally portraying aloof parents, oppressive teachers, and petty crime. The film marked Truffaut’s passage from leading critic to trailblazing auteur of the French New Wave.

Restored high-definition digital transfer
Two audio commentaries, one by cinema professor Brian Stonehill and the other by director François Truffaut’s lifelong friend Robert Lachenay
Rare audition footage of Jean-Pierre Léaud, Patrick Auffay, and Richard Kanayan
Newsreel footage from the film’s showing at Cannes
Excerpt from a 1965 interview with Truffaut in which he discusses his youth, his critical writings, and the origins of the character Antoine Doinel
Excerpt from a 1960 interview with Truffaut about the global reception of The 400 Blows and his own critical view of the film
Trailer
PLUS: An essay by film scholar Annette Insdorf