The 400 Blows

With friend Rene (Patrick Auffay) after being caught cutting class, Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Leaud) works on a bigger lie, the teacher (Guy Decomble) and his father (Albert Remy) soon catching on, beginning a rapid descent in Francois Truffaut's celebrated The Four Hundred Blows, 1959.

Home alone after school and very much on his own, young Jean-Pierre Leaud as "Antoine Doinel," joined by his not overly concerned mother (Claire Maurier), her first appearance in director Francois Truffaut's debut, the New Wave landmark, The Four Hundred Blows, 1959.

Opening scenes from director Francois Truffaut's pioneering feature debut, Jean-Pierre Leaud as protagonist "Antoine Doinel," Guy Decomble the dreaded instructor, in what is often cited as the definitive French New Wave film, The Four Hundred Blows, 1959.

Parisian schoolmates skipping class, Antoine Doinel (Jean-Pierre Leaud) and buddy Rene (Patrick Auffay), to their regret crossing paths with Mme. Doinel (Claire Maurier), trouble brewing in director Francois Truffaut's acknowledged New Wave masterpiece, The Four Hundred Blows, 1959.

New York Magazine chief critic David Edelstein is the host for TCM's Friday Night Spotlight presentation of the films of Francois Truffaut, starting at 8pm ET every Friday in July.