The 1959 French film directed by François Truffaut that became a founding work of the French New Wave is The 400 Blows. It was Truffaut's directorial debut and introduced Jean-Pierre Léaud as Antoine Doinel, a misunderstood Parisian adolescent.
The film drew heavily on Truffaut's own difficult childhood, while its location shooting, naturalistic performances, mobile camera work, and focus on youthful alienation reflected the New Wave's break with established French studio traditions. Truffaut also co-wrote the screenplay with Marcel Moussy.
The French title, Les Quatre Cents Coups, is an idiom meaning something like “raising hell” or “getting into mischief,” so the English title is not a literal description of the story. Antoine's rebellious behavior brings him into conflict with his parents and teachers, eventually leading him through the juvenile justice system.
The 400 Blows opened the 1959 Cannes Film Festival, where Truffaut won Best Director. It is sometimes confused with Breathless, another landmark New Wave film, but Breathless was directed by Jean-Luc Godard and released in 1960.