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The 400 Blows

The 400 Blows

Drama · 1959

For young Parisian boy Antoine Doinel, life is one difficult situation after another. Surrounded by inconsiderate adults, including his neglectful parents, Antoine spends his days with his best friend, Rene, trying to plan for a better life. When one of their schemes goes awry, Antoine ends up in trouble with the law, leading to even more conflicts with unsympathetic authority figures.

Movie details

The 400 Blows

“Angel faces hell-bent for violence.”

1959 Drama 1h 39m

Critical arithmetic

One number, for now.

TMDB

8.0 / 10

Community rating

For young Parisian boy Antoine Doinel, life is one difficult situation after another. Surrounded by inconsiderate adults, including his neglectful parents, Antoine spends his days with his best friend, Rene, trying to plan for a better life. When one of their schemes goes awry, Antoine ends up in trouble with the law, leading to even more conflicts with unsympathetic authority figures.

CriticWise case file

What this film says about your taste.

Not a recommendation score. A measure of how closely the film’s taste signals resemble yours.

The archetype split

Who fights over The 400 Blows?

The split comes from the same five-axis model used by the test, not audience ratings or review sentiment.

Taste neighbourhood

Nearby on the taste map.

TMDB supplies the candidates. CriticWise reorders them by craft, strangeness, prestige, emotion, and pace.

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Names above the title

The people responsible.

Directed by

François Truffaut

Written by

François Truffaut

Jean-Pierre Léaud

Jean-Pierre Léaud

Antoine Doinel

Claire Maurier

Claire Maurier

Gilberte Doinel

Albert Rémy

Albert Rémy

Julien Doinel

Georges Flamant

Georges Flamant

Mr. Bigey

P

Patrick Auffay

René

Robert Beauvais

Robert Beauvais

Directeur de l'école

Yvonne Claudie

Yvonne Claudie

Mme Bigey

Court is in session

Put The 400 Blows on trial.

Two incompatible taste archetypes. One film. Read the arguments, then issue a completely binding cultural ruling.

The defence The Prestige Tourist

“Ambition earns the room.”

The film reaches for consequence and scale, accepting the risk of seriousness instead of shrinking from it.

The prosecution The Popcorn Loyalist

“Importance has entered the chat.”

The production keeps announcing its significance, as though awards-season posture were proof of insight.