Released in 1959, Francois Truffaut's first feature, The 400 Blows (Les Quatre cents coups), is also his most personal. Based on his own stormy childhood, The 400 Blows unsentimentally portrays aloof parents, oppressive teachers, petty crime, and a friendship that would last a lifetime. The film marks Truffaut's passage from leading critic of the French New Wave to his emergence as one of Europe's most brilliant auteurs.