The 400 Blows (1959) (PG)
TICKETS: £5 (under 24’s £4)
FROM PAGE TO SCREEN 2023
One of cinema’s greatest cinephiles, Francois Truffaut, gave to the silver screen one of its greatest movies. Jean-Pierre Leaud plays Antoine, a teen who’s relentless unruliness leads to trouble with his parents, school and even the law. A snapshot of disaffected youth, a time capsule for Paris in the 60s, and a classic of the French New Wave, The 400 Blows is often imitated but rarely equalled.
I lie now and then, I suppose. Sometimes I’d tell them the truth and they still wouldn’t believe me, so I prefer to lie.
Reviews
“Adapting for the screen, whether it be a novel, a stage play, a biography, a historical event or a newspaper article, presents its own particular problems, perhaps more technical, but in no way less intricate than writing an original screenplay. I’ve spent decades ruminating on these issues, without necessarily having reached any firm conclusions, though I do by now, I suppose, have a few tentative suggestions. I’m delighted at the opportunity to visit Bridport to be able to kick some of these suggestions around.”