The 400 Blows -

At the station, they put him in a room with a wooden chair and a crucifix. A social worker with kind eyes asked, “Why did you run?”

This paper examines ( ), the seminal directorial debut of François Truffaut and a foundational work of the French New Wave ( Nouvellecap N o u v e l l e Vaguecap V a g u e Introduction: A New Cinematic Language The film's title, a transliteration of the French idiom fairef a i r e quatreq u a t r e centsc e n t s coupsc o u p s the 400 blows

Here’s a concise, solid guide to François Truffaut’s ( Les Quatre Cents Coups , 1959). At the station, they put him in a

"The 400 Blows" was a critical and commercial success upon its release, earning Truffaut an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. The film's influence can be seen in many subsequent coming-of-age dramas, including: The film's influence can be seen in many

: Shot on the streets of Paris rather than in a studio, giving it a gritty, realistic feel [11, 14].

Released in 1959, François Truffaut’s The 400 Blows (Les Quatre Cents Coups) serves as the inaugural pillar of the French New Wave. This paper explores how the film utilizes semi-autobiographical narrative, stylistic innovation, and existential themes to deconstruct the coming-of-age genre. By analyzing the protagonist, Antoine Doinel, not merely as a delinquent but as a victim of institutional rigidity and parental neglect, this paper argues that the film creates a new cinematic language—one that prioritizes the emotional truth of childhood over moralizing storytelling.