The 400 Blows is not a comfortable movie. It bites the hand that feeds it. It bites the parents who neglect, the teachers who humiliate, and the judges who condemn without understanding.
The 400 Blows was his manifesto. It was autobiographical (Truffaut had a similar childhood to Antoine) and stylistically revolutionary. It won the Best Director prize at the Cannes Film Festival, legitimizing the New Wave movement. the 400 blows