‘Lenfant sauvage‘ (translated into English as ‘The Wild Child‘) made in 1970 brings to screen much of what I love in Francois Truffaut‘s films: the direct and sincere approach, the pleasure of telling viewers an exciting story, the fascination for the end of childhood and the coming to age, the professional use of the means of cinematic expression and the exploration of new ways, made without ostentation and with openness to spectators. The film belongs to the historical movies genre and the script is based on a real case. However, the story has enough generality for the message to be valid in any era. ‘L’enfant sauvage‘ was made at the end of the decade which saw the New Wave consecrate and diversify so that its main exponents had gone in different directions. Francois Truffaut was the one who remained closest to the audiences.
The story begins in 1798 with the discovery in the woods near the French town of Aveyron of a 12-year-old boy (played by Jean-Pierre Cargol who did not pursue an acting career) who appeared to have lived most of his life in the wild. After being captured and brought to Paris, he is taken under care by Dr. Itard (Francois Truffaut) who, with the help of his housekeeper, Mrs. Guerin (Francoise Seigner) takes on the task of filling by education the gap between wildlife in nature and what which at that time was considered ‘civilised’ life. The process of adaptation, knowledge, learning takes place in parallel with the coming to age of the boy on the verge of adolescence. The film is based on Dr. Itard’s real diary, which also records the progress of the treatment and the education process the child went through and reflected on the differences between people’s natural and social conditions, at a time when these questions concerned not only scientists but also philosophers.
Francois Truffaut uses in this film many cinematic techniques put in the service of the story and of the main ideas of the plot. He casts himself in the role of Dr. Itard, a character who is a synthesis of the ideas of the Enlightenment paving the way for the century in which medical science, psychology and education would make great progress. The image of Truffaut with the topper stays in the memory of the spectators. The use of the black and white image borrowed from the techniques of the New Wave is effective, with transitions between scenes in the style of silent films and frames reminiscent of Hitchcock, but what stays in memory from the cinematography signed by Nestor Almendros are the size and strength of nature. Every time when filming outside, nature seems to dominate human characters, if they exist at all. We feel the magnetism of the forest even when it is filmed through a window. I believe that this visual ratio has special significance in a film that talks about the balance between nature and civilisation. The power of the film derives in my opinion largely from its sincerity. Watching ‘L’enfant sauvage‘ I never had the feeling of melodramatic manipulation. What we see on the screen is the story of a closeness and mutual acquaintance, filmed with realistic details but also with deep empathy. Education can generate civilisation – this message may sound rhetorical, but thanks to Truffaut, here it seems authentic.