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The 400 Blows, 1959

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Marc Myers
Dec 30, 2020
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François Truffaut's The 400 Blows marked a turning point in French cinema. Up until 1959, French film was rigidly traditional—more novel-like with screenplay stories formally crafted and resolved. The 400 Blows was the first French film to neatly break from this model. It incorporated the director's perspective rather than adhere to a tidy, formulaic st…

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