THE WILD CHILD (L'ENFANT SAUVAGE)

France, 1970, 85 minutes, Black and white.
Francois Truffaut, Jean- Pierre Cargol.
Directed by Francois Truffaut.

The Wild Child is a different kind of film from Truffaut's main interests, although he showed a strong interest in what it is to be a child and to grow and to communicate in his introducing Antoine Doinel to the world in The 400 Blows.

The Wild Child tells a simple story of a twelve year old boy who has grown up like an animal in the forest. A Parisian doctor (the year is 1798) undertakes to educate him and keeps a record of his teaching. This we share.

The Miracle Worker and The Mind of Mr. Soames also tackled the question of the education of the handicapped or retarded child. Truffaut (playing the doctor) tells his story in straightforward fashion but uses a style to make it look as if the film could have been made in 1798 - silent film fade-outs, scenes of the doctor writing his record with the doctor's commentary and sets and behaviour as if photographed for a newsreel of the time. This atmosphere makes The Wild Child special and helps it convey its delicate appreciation of what it is to be a human being and to communicate and understand.

1. How did the film communicate an old-world flavour of 1798? Comment on the use of black and white photography, the fadeouts, the selection of incidents, the manners of the characters, the spoken diary technique.

2. The effect of the scenes of the child hunting for food, scampering like an animal, climbing trees and fighting with the hunting dogs?

3. Was the child treated well on his capture, in the village, in the coach? What should have been done for him?

4. Was the child treated properly in the institute for deaf mutes?

5. Why did Dr. Ittard offer to educate the child?

6. How successful were Dr. Ittard's methods? How much was the training of an animal, how much the education of a human being?

7. Was Mme. Guerin a good influence in the education of Victor?

8. Why was Dr. Ittard dissatisfied when Victor would say the word for milk only after receiving the milk? Why did Dr. Ittard place so much more importance on his asking for it beforehand? Why was this important for learning to communicate as a human being?

9. Which sequences in Victor's education did you like best? Which sequences, if any, did you find hard to take? why?

10. Was Dr. Ittard driving Victor too hard? Did he allow enough scope for recreation and pleasure?

11. Was Dr. Ittard's use of punishment effective? How did he gain a sense of what was just and unjust?

12. Why did Victor run away? Why did he return?

13. What future would Victor have had?

14. what sense of achievement did Dr. Ittard feel? Why?

15. What is the value of making and screening a film like this?

16. Rousseau, in eighteenth century France, proposed the theory of 'the noble savage', man as innately good. Did this film share Rousseau's ideas?

17. What did this film show about the reality of being a human being?