The Wild Child
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Movie Reviews of The Wild Child
Movie Review: Boy gone wild!
Summary: 5 Stars
No-frills, pared-to-the-bone film by Francois Truffaut concerning the true story of a "savage" pubescent who was captured in a forest in France, living like a beast. The story takes place at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries, but, rather curiously, Truffaut makes no political commentary about post-Terror France. All in all, this is a rather excellent idea, one to be emulated by other period-piece makers who clog their movies with "historical figures", famous events, or other data that don't have much to do with whatever story they're telling. Here, Truffaut sticks strictly to the point. (A miracle, considering this director's track-record!) Scarcely deviating from the source-material -- a journal by the doctor who took responsibility for the child, domesticated him, and attempted to train him up into a proper little Frenchman -- the director lets the story itself do all the work. The documentary-feel to the the movie brings many interesting themes, one by one, to the surface. Not the least of which is the relativism of "happiness". Bored of the endless lessons ("match this shape with this object", etc.), the boy runs off only to discover the forest has been spoiled for him forever by the doting doctor and his maid, by the delicious food, by the comfortable sleeping quarters, by the glasses of water and milk, and so on. He returns home willingly, but his face, upon hearing the doctor say, "Tomorrow, we resume our lessons," says it all. (This movie makes a thematic companion-piece to Nicolas Roeg's pessimistic *Walkabout*.) Also of note is that Truffaut reverts to black & white in this film (it was made in 1970), perhaps because he was concerned that the soft, lovely colors of the French countryside would encourage sentimentality. Indeed: the rather grim B&W photography, the clinical approach to the material, the serious implications underlying the story, and even his own wooden performance as the doctor, all combine to shoo away happy-ending seekers.Movie Review: The Wild Child and Nesmluvena Setkani.
Summary: 5 Stars
The Wild Child is an absolutely enthralling film, based on the true story of a real-life boy "Tarzan". Discovered in a French Aveyron forest, in the late 1700s, "The Wild Child" was considered to be a deaf and dumb savage. But, young doctor Jean Itard (played by director Francois Truffaut) believes he can "civilize" the child and in a sense restore the humaity to the child. With tentative permission from the child's guardian "Institute for the Deaf and Dumb", Dr. Itard takes the savage boy into his home. Itard becomes the child's teacher and, ultimately, surrogate parent. The relationship that develops is beautiful as the boy's teacher steers the even course between a deep love and affection for the boy but also demanding results and using conditioning to modify the boys behaviour so he will hopefully be able to oneday face a less forgiving and understanding world.
Director/writer/co-star Truffaut's "L' Infant sauvage" is a minor masterpiece. It's beautifully photographed (by Nestor Almendros), thought-provoking, and emotionally captivating. The ending events are, in fact, an emotional roller-coaster. Truffaut elicits a tremendous performance from Jean-Pierre Cargol as the savage young Victor.Jean's preformance is fantastic as the boy really had to work hard playing a role where when he starts out as a naked boy with long hair living with wolves to a refines French boy with manner-the transformation is convincing. A great film for parents, teachers, and children and this film makes a great film.If you like this film I stongly recommend Nesmluvena Setkani. Nesmluvena Setkani is a hard to find film but I have seen it at CVMC and at Azov films and it sort of tells this same story from a science fiction point of view in the far future where a boy is found on a planet living wild.If you love the Wild Child you must be sure to see Nesmluvena Setkani.
Movie Review: The Wild Child
Summary: 5 Stars
1970, black and white, French with English subtitles. I spent my teen years in Tampa, Florida, which enjoys a fine independent film scene, but I never saw a single one. I was washing dishes for minimum wage, okay? So, for the last time, I'm no art film snob. Don't be on my case because I watch movies with subtitles sometimes. I watched HERO that way. It really sucked. It really, really, really sucked. Not like a Hoover. Like a black hole.
True story. In the late 1700s, a boy who was roughly eleven years old was found living in the woods. He'd been there eight or so years. Jonathan Swift's yahoos in all their glory, and perhaps the basis for every jungle boy myth before and after Tarzan. As an amateur teacher myself, I would NOT want to be the one educating this child. The guy who took on the job left journals, and they're the basis for this movie. Realism was the obvious goal, and it was achieved.
Consider this. Fiction loves to look at humanity from perspectives outside ourselves. STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND. Mr Spock. Kwai Chang Caine. Data. BABYLON 5. Odo. THE WILD CHILD covers a lot of ground, subtly, in under 90 minutes. I'd love to know how they found this child actor who always looked more comfortable on four legs than on two. I'll watch this one again.
After you've enjoyed the film -- not before -- watch the trailer they showed in the USA in 1970. It's on the DVD. You will laugh your butt off. HAMLET, as sold by Barnum and Bailey barkers. Clueless marketing morons are a constant in every age. Conga line of suckholes.
Movie Review: Deserves to be Discovered
Summary: 5 Stars
"The Wild Child" was directed by Francois Truffaut and released in 1970. Truffaut has made some extraordinary movies, such as the Antoine Doinel series and "Jules et Jim." Unfortunately, this movie is given relatively little recognition, even though it truly is first-rate. Based on a true story, the movie concerns Victor, l'enfant sauvage - a boy found in the wilds of France. Truffaut cast himself as Dr. Jean Itard an 18th century physician who helps "tame" and educate the boy. Initially branded an "idiot" and uneducable by local townspeople, Victor is helped immensely by Dr. Itard through his humane treatment. The story is fascinating and quite gripping. In addition, the movie raises interesting questions regarding "civilized" behavior and ethics, as it compares Victor to various people in the town. Although similar stories has been told elsewhere (e.g., Herzog's "Every Man for Himself"), Truffaut manages to put his own interesting spin on the tale. Further, his direction is masterful, and he won Best Director from the National Board of Review. The film was made in black and white, which adds great realism to the story - it looks terrific (It won Best Cinematography from the National Society of Film Critics). The only debit is the lack of DVD extras.
Movie Review: My Favorite Francois Truffault's Film
Summary: 5 Stars
Provocative, engaging, and moving, this movie is an absolute wonder - elegant, artful, with breathtaking use of Vivaldi's music, with amazing performance form Jeanne-Pierre Cargol as a Wild Child of the title, the young boy who was found living in the forest outside a village in 1790th France. Based on the book of the physician Itard (played by Francois Truffault) who took the boy in and tried to teach him how to live among humans. The contrast between the narrator's (Itard's) passionless voice and his growing emotional attachment to the boy is heartbreaking.
"The Wild Child" is my favorite Truffault's film - I think it is much stronger than his more popular "400 Blows". Highly recommended