Greetings Roger! Many thanks for the very thorough and carefully thought out analysis offered on this intriguing film that I have yet to view. I'm struck by the propensity of modern society to effectively cast away children. There is probably no greater condemnation of a society than this. The elements that the child then becomes a curio or curiosity are equally repellent. The choice by Truffaut not to take the perspective of Victor is of interest because it minimizes the agency of the child. One can also reflect on the notion of how easily we take for granted our own ability to interact with people in the world around us. My own most recent viewing experience was the 1941 classic, Blossoms In The Dust, directed by Mervyn LeRoy and featuring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, and Felix Bressart. The story revolves around Edna Gladney (Garson) who comes to champion the rights of orphaned children in Texas. These children were labelled as illegitimate on their birth certificates which would have dire connotations for them later in life. Garson is superb in the lead role. Amazingly, this would be the first of five consecutive films in which she would be nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award. The film does have some problems, including its depiction of Blacks, but overall it is an engaging and vital snapshot of 20th century American society. My most recent film acquisition is 2021's Don't Look Up, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, and Meryl Streep. Thank you again for the insightful review and have a great week ahead!
Hi, Chris. Re-visiting these Truffaut films has been a highlight of the year so far for me. I hadn’t seen The Wild Child in many years and wish it could have been accompanied by some supplements but at least Kino had the gumption to release it even though in an interview with their acquisition manager they didn’t expect it to do well. It was a art house hit on its original release and subsequently in repertory theaters but, alas, Truffaut’s name seems to have lost its magic other than The 400 Blows. I haven’t seen either of the films you mentioned. Thanks as always for the terrific comments and have a great week.
I picked up this disc during the recent Kino sale and stuck it in my growing "to watch" pile, but after seeing your review I was inspired to give it a go---very enjoyable, thanks for the motivation. Hope to follow along as you go through this collection.
Great review Roger, i had the chance to get all these new Kino editions, and recently watched "the wild child" it looks marvelous compared to the laserdisc, the only copy i had of this one!, "Mississippi Mermaid" looks great too! i still need to watch the "the green room" ive never seen this one, so should be interesting! Its a great movie, everyone should check out the "the wild child"!! take care Roger!
Thanks Mike. I assume the laserdisc of The Wild Child had some supplements. I believe Annette Insdorf did a commentary once and that would have been a really welcome addition. I will eventually upgrade Mississippi Mermaid. I am going to reread Altar of the Dead a short story by Henry James that Truffaut used in part for The Green Room. I haven’t seen that since its original release and I recall being perplexed by it, but looking forward to a re-watch. Have a great week.
Greetings Roger! Many thanks for the very thorough and carefully thought out analysis offered on this intriguing film that I have yet to view. I'm struck by the propensity of modern society to effectively cast away children. There is probably no greater condemnation of a society than this. The elements that the child then becomes a curio or curiosity are equally repellent. The choice by Truffaut not to take the perspective of Victor is of interest because it minimizes the agency of the child. One can also reflect on the notion of how easily we take for granted our own ability to interact with people in the world around us. My own most recent viewing experience was the 1941 classic, Blossoms In The Dust, directed by Mervyn LeRoy and featuring Greer Garson, Walter Pidgeon, and Felix Bressart. The story revolves around Edna Gladney (Garson) who comes to champion the rights of orphaned children in Texas. These children were labelled as illegitimate on their birth certificates which would have dire connotations for them later in life. Garson is superb in the lead role. Amazingly, this would be the first of five consecutive films in which she would be nominated for a Best Actress Academy Award. The film does have some problems, including its depiction of Blacks, but overall it is an engaging and vital snapshot of 20th century American society. My most recent film acquisition is 2021's Don't Look Up, featuring Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, and Meryl Streep. Thank you again for the insightful review and have a great week ahead!
Hi, Chris. Re-visiting these Truffaut films has been a highlight of the year so far for me. I hadn’t seen The Wild Child in many years and wish it could have been accompanied by some supplements but at least Kino had the gumption to release it even though in an interview with their acquisition manager they didn’t expect it to do well. It was a art house hit on its original release and subsequently in repertory theaters but, alas, Truffaut’s name seems to have lost its magic other than The 400 Blows. I haven’t seen either of the films you mentioned. Thanks as always for the terrific comments and have a great week.
I picked up this disc during the recent Kino sale and stuck it in my growing "to watch" pile, but after seeing your review I was inspired to give it a go---very enjoyable, thanks for the motivation. Hope to follow along as you go through this collection.
Thanks so much. Glad to hear you enjoyed the movie. I will be finishing up the Truffaut Collection later this week.
Great review Roger, i had the chance to get all these new Kino editions, and recently watched "the wild child" it looks marvelous compared to the laserdisc, the only copy i had of this one!, "Mississippi Mermaid" looks great too! i still need to watch the "the green room" ive never seen this one, so should be interesting!
Its a great movie, everyone should check out the "the wild child"!!
take care Roger!
Thanks Mike. I assume the laserdisc of The Wild Child had some supplements. I believe Annette Insdorf did a commentary once and that would have been a really welcome addition. I will eventually upgrade Mississippi Mermaid. I am going to reread Altar of the Dead a short story by Henry James that Truffaut used in part for The Green Room. I haven’t seen that since its original release and I recall being perplexed by it, but looking forward to a re-watch. Have a great week.