« In september 1958, I posted an ad in France-Soir to find a thirteen year old boy who would be The 400 Blows’ hero. (…) about sixty children came, and I tried each one of them on sixteen millimeters (…) Jean-Pierre Léaud was clearly standing out from the rest and, after several play-offs, I decided to give him Antoine Doinel’s part. I wouldn’t say he was the closest from myself (…) Jean-Pierre was agressive, which I never was, rather submissive and possibly sneaky. He had better health than me, and above all, he had a flame, an intensity, an extraordinary desire to get the part. One could feel that his life had also been a bit dramatic, a bit tensed. In the end : he was facinating. » – François Truffaut

1959 -The Four Hundred Blows

13 years old, schoolboy, single.

1962 – Antoine and Colette

17 years old, works in a Philips factory, in love with Colette.

1968 – Stolen Kisses

24 years old, fired from the army, night porter in a hotel and then private detective, in love with Christine Darbon and Fabienne Tabard.

1970 – Bed and Board

26 years old, modifes the flowers’ colors by a chemical process and then monitored oil tanker models, maried to Christine, in love with a Japanese, Kyoko, who’s willing to comit suicide with him.

1979 – Love on the run

35 years old, writer, maried to Christine and in love with Liliane, then divorced and in love with Sabine, finds back Colette.