The 400 Blows (France)

1959; 1 h 39 m; NR (mature thematic material and some suggestive content)

For young Parisian boy Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Léaud), life is one difficult situation after another. Surrounded by inconsiderate adults, including his neglectful parents (Claire Maurier, Albert Remy), Antoine spends his days with his best friend, Rene (Patrick Auffray), 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. One of the defining films of the French New Wave, this classic is considered one of the best French films in cinema history and is one of the only films to hold a 100% approval rating on critic aggregator site, Rotten Tomatoes.

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FLICC Foreign Film Zoom Chat:

Friday, February 19 at 7:30pm
Registration required

Join FLICC in a Zoom film discussion about The 400 Blows! Explore the themes and stylistic choices, share what you liked (or didn’t like), ask questions, and gain new insights into this vital piece of film history.

Register for free to receive the Zoom link.

Where to Watch:

Available on HBO Max and for rent on Amazon Prime, Google Play, and YouTube. It’s also available through the Carroll County Public Library system.