The title of this François Truffaut classic comes from the French idiom “faire les quatre cents coups”, meaning “to raise hell” (x). The English title is a straight translation of the French but misses its meaning. On the first American prints, subtitler and dubber Noelle Gilmore gave the film the title Wild Oats, but the distributor did not like that title and reverted it to The 400 Blows, which led some to think the film covered the topic of corporal punishment (x).
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The title of this François Truffaut classic comes from the French idiom “faire les quatre cents coups”, meaning “to raise hell” (x). The English title is a straight translation of the French but misses its meaning. On the first American prints, subtitler and dubber Noelle Gilmore gave the film the title Wild Oats, but the distributor did not like that title and reverted it to The 400 Blows, which led some to think the film covered the topic of corporal punishment (x).