New Arrival The 400 Blows (#5)

Franois Truffauts first feature is also his most personal. Told from the point of view of Truffauts cinematic counterpart, Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Laud), The 400 Blows (Les quatre cents coups) sensitively re-creates the trials of Truffauts own childhood, unsentimentally portraying aloof parents, oppressive teachers, and petty crime. The film marked Truffauts passage from leading critic to trailblazing auteur of the French New Wave.

SPECIAL FEATURES

Restored high-definition digital transfer, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray

Two audio commentaries, one by cinema professor Brian Stonehill and the other by director Franois Truffauts lifelong friend Robert Lachenay

Rare audition footage of Jean-Pierre Laud, Patrick Auffay, and Richard Kanayan

Newsreel footage from the films showing at Cannes

Excerpt from a 1965 interview with Truffaut in which he discusses his youth, his critical writings, and the origins of the character Antoine Doinel

Excerpt from a 1960 interview with Truffaut about the global reception of The 400 Blows and his own critical view of the film

Trailer

PLUS: An essay by film scholar Annette Insdorf