``The 400 Blows.'' A new wave from France that fascinates the world, ``Nouvelle Vague.''

The new wave “Nouvelle Vague” came from France

This is the first full-length film by François Truffaut, a leading figure in the Nouvelle Vague that arose in the French film industry at the end of the 1950s. Although this was Truffaut's first feature film, he won the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival. On the other hand, " Black Orpheus " (59) won the Palme d'Or, the grand prize. This is a work based on Greek mythology and set in Brazil, directed by French director Marcel Camus. Although it is a masterpiece that even won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, it stands out from the Nouvelle Vague.

Alain Resnais' ` `24 Hours '' (1959), set in Hiroshima, Japan, was also released in the same year. The Nouvelle Vague is divided into two factions: the Cahiers (Right Bank) and the Left Bank, and if Truffaut is a representative of the Cahiers, Resnais is a Left Bank. The following year, Jean-Luc Godard of the Cahiers school produced a masterpiece of the Nouvelle Vague called `` Do whatever you want '' (1960), and Truffaut was also involved in the original idea.

Also, when talking about ``The 400 Blows'', one thing that cannot be ignored is that it is a semi-autobiographical work by director François Truffaut. And Truffaut continued to create works depicting the main character, Antoine Doinel, throughout his life. After depicting Antoine's love in his twenties under the title "Antoine and Colette" in a short omnibus called "Twenty Years of Love" (62), he went on to write " Lovers in the Night Mist " (68) and " Home " (70). This was followed by `` Fleeing Love '' (79).

“The 400 Blows” (c) Photofest / Getty Images

Jean-Pierre Léaud, who won the role of Antoine in this film through an audition, continued to play the role for 20 years as he continued to grow. Among them, ``Lovers in the Night Fog'' received acclaim, including being nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.

There is no doubt that Jean-Pierre Léaud, who had starred in Truffaut's works other than Antoine, such as `` Etude des Loves '' (1971), was Truffaut's treasured child. Moreover, she was loved not only by Truffaut but also by Jean-Luc Godard, and appeared in films such as `` Men and Women '' (1966) and `` Weekend '' (1967). Truffaut and Godard used Jean-Pierre Léaud as if in competition, and it would be no exaggeration to say that he is the face of the Nouvelle Vague.

The wonders of Truffaut's technique