The 400 Blows
Making lists is an activity moviegoers are fond of. Every year, the same ritual: compilation of the ten best films, with comparative analyses, debates, heated discussions. But what about the ultimate list of the most outstanding films in the history of cinema? That is to say, those films that must be seen, those that have forever transformed the art of cinema, but also our way of seeing a culture, of understanding the world as well as our own lives? This program aims to tackle this challenge with nearly eighty films, produced between 1916 and 1960, while waiting for your lists!
Unhappy in his family, the young Antoine Doinel commits petty theft. Placed in a center for young offenders, he escapes.
François Truffaut
François Truffaut was a French filmmaker, a major figure of the French New Wave, and the author of 21 feature films that helped revolutionize cinematic storytelling. With a career of more than 25 years, he is an icon of the French film industry. Initially a critic at Arts-Lettres-Spectacles and Cahiers du Cinéma, he transitioned from writing to a career as a self-taught screenwriter and director at the age of 22, following the auteur theory he advocated in his writings. He also acted in several films and was a producer who supported Marcel L'Herbier's hoped-for "auteur theory" against purely commercial entertainment cinema. The 400 Blows is a defining film of the French New Wave movement, and has four sequels, Antoine et Colette, Stolen Kisses, Bed and Board, and Love on the Run, made between 1958 and 1979. His 1973 film Day for Night earned him critical acclaim and several awards, including the BAFTA Award for Best Film and the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.
