University of Virginia Library

Photography

The film is superbly
photographed by Nestor
Almendros. I feel it is important to
give credit to him, for I believe that
with Truffaut acting in the film,
some of the shots would have to
have been "directed" by
Almendros. Nevertheless, the film
contains numerous camera
techniques, a trademark of
Truffaut, none of which are used
simply for show. Among these are
the dissolves and iris shots, which
evoke a feeling of old silent films.

This old-fashioned feeling is
somewhat crucial to the film. In the
August, 1970 Esquire, Truffaut
stated that film directors should
make statements about life. "The
Wild Child" is a narrative in a pure
sense, and at the core of this film,
perhaps more than others by
Truffaut, there lies a truth which
Truffaut is trying to convey.

The spirit of the eighteenth
century meets the noble savage and
finds him uncontrollable. The

persistence of scientific training and
testing does not seem to be making
rapid progress. Victor, the Wild
Child, rebels and Itard is frustrated.
Nothing seems to be happening in
the film: both Itard and Victor
seem to be static and incapable of
change.