THE 400 BLOWS - A Quest for Freedom
François Truffaut's first full-length film and also his semi-autobiography, The 400 Blows ( Les Quatre Cents Coups ), released in 1959 is a landmark film of the French New Wave. Truffaut spent the initial years of his film career as a critic, writing for the famous French film journal, Cahiers du Cinema. Writing about films and being in contact with one of the greatest critics, Andr é Bazin the foundation on which Truffaut stood was rock solid. Somehow, when the film was premiered at the Cannes Film Festival ( 1959) , it did not receive the appreciation and acknowledgement it does today. One of the reasons being how young he was to have made a film and how he used to bash the old and seasoned French filmmakers in his critiques for promoting traditional filmmaking methods. Gradually, the film received the appreciation it deserved. It was identified to be unique in its own way and a success of the unconventional style of filmmaking which resonated with the French New Wave. The film
