(Sunday) Movie Meetup — The 400 Blows — Meet from 1 pm, film at 2 pm

"It's a cornerstone of the French New Wave, and one of the greatest movies about childhood, from anywhere, ever."
★★★★★ Anthony Quinn, Independent

We're going to see François Truffaut’s 1959 debut The 400 Blows.

This the first in a short season exploring the start of the French New Wave.

We'll meet in the Watershed cafe/bar from 1 pm, to say hello and chat. Afterwards, there will be time to stop and talk about the film.

Buy your own ticket from the box office or online.

ABOUT THE FILM

"An early classic of the French New Wave and possibly cinema’s defining masterpiece of disaffected youth, François Truffaut’s directorial debut The 400 Blows is the first in a cycle of four films that Truffaut eventually went on to direct that follow the life of Antoine Doinel.

"... 13-year-old Antoine (Jean-Pierre Léaud) is forever getting into trouble at school, misunderstood by his teachers and parents. The only way he can seek refuge from the daily grind is by skipping school, sneaking into the local cinema and hoping for the day he can leave the classroom behind."
— Watershed Summary

"Francois Truffaut's The 400 Blows is one of the most intensely touching stories ever made about a young adolescent."
★★★★★ Roger Ebert

"Distinguished by its naturalistic, quasi-documentary approach and an extraordinary central performance from the 12-year-old Jean-Pierre Léaud, this is a blisteringly authentic story."
★★★★★ Wendy Ide, The Times

"Jean-Pierre Léaud dazzles at the heart of an autobiographical opus that invites new waves of adulation with each viewing"
★★★★★ Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

"‘The 400 Blows,’ is a Directing Debut That Still Astonishes"
★★★★★ J. Hoberman, The New York Times