SOME COMMENTS COULD BE CONSIDERED SPOILERS
Only François Truffaut could transmogrify a series of banal, almost humdrum, scenes from the lives of children in a small French town into an experience that gains in enjoyableness with each viewing.
He is a master of the ordinary, the quotidian, using everyday events to piece together a patchwork of commentary, reprimands, warnings and frustrations in such a way as to hold our interest and stimulate discussion.
There is, however, little that is original in this movie. He does not so much break ground as get things off his chest. It is autobiographical in the sense that Truffaut was traumatized by his unhappy childhood and so idealizes children, attributing to them a likableness and an incongruous maturity that they may not have in real life. I do not mean to denigrate children, but from the first scene to the last, the viewer is being lectured on how to raise children.
There are three instances of parental neglect. Two of them - where kids are left alone in the house - are treated lightheartedly. I presume this is because he did not want his film to be a tragedy and so opted for happy resolutions.
Mr. Richet and Miss Petit say the most commonplace things, both in the classroom and to one another. When they discuss exhibitionism, Truffaut turns a dreadful classroom problem into something easily solved through the magic of an understanding and wise teacher. Would that it were that simple!
Likewise, the initiation of children into the chaotic world of eroticism and rivalries is depicted as being relatively easy to accomplish. These scenes of children trying to be adults in love were the least successful, in my opinion, because they were too obviously a contrivance.
The breast-feeding scene, despite its delicacy, cannot escape the inevitable trap of being both cloying and didactic. We can almost hear him pleading with us to recognize the beauty of motherhood. Again, I must emphasize that I do not disagree with him, But I was aware of being preached at.
Mr. Richet's soapbox speech - the film's culminating scene - reveals to us the director's inner motivations. Instead of stressing the need for firmness, discipline or realistic goals in the raising of children, he delivers a hackneyed cliché from the school of progressive pedagogy - that children should have their own political representation! Then, they could enjoy so many benefits, such as exemption from punctuality. One can only assume Truffaut was never called upon to resolve the contradiction inherent in this movie - that children should be cared for and loved on the one hand, and at the same time given whatever they desire. He has allowed his own personal suffering and resentments to cloud his judgment.
Despite these reservations, the film has great class and elegance. The actors (or non-actors) are wonderful.
There is perhaps one comment made by Mr. Richet that merits special attention. He notes the emotional regression suffered by boys who are switched from a boys' school to a mixed environment. At one time it was normal to separate the sexes. This was done not out of prejudice, but out of the realization that many problems can be avoided this way.
Finally, this intimate glimpse of rural France of 30 years ago stirs up much nostalgia, since the troubling and possibly unsolvable social problems of today make the capers of the kids in this film seem like...well, small change.
Only François Truffaut could transmogrify a series of banal, almost humdrum, scenes from the lives of children in a small French town into an experience that gains in enjoyableness with each viewing.
He is a master of the ordinary, the quotidian, using everyday events to piece together a patchwork of commentary, reprimands, warnings and frustrations in such a way as to hold our interest and stimulate discussion.
There is, however, little that is original in this movie. He does not so much break ground as get things off his chest. It is autobiographical in the sense that Truffaut was traumatized by his unhappy childhood and so idealizes children, attributing to them a likableness and an incongruous maturity that they may not have in real life. I do not mean to denigrate children, but from the first scene to the last, the viewer is being lectured on how to raise children.
There are three instances of parental neglect. Two of them - where kids are left alone in the house - are treated lightheartedly. I presume this is because he did not want his film to be a tragedy and so opted for happy resolutions.
Mr. Richet and Miss Petit say the most commonplace things, both in the classroom and to one another. When they discuss exhibitionism, Truffaut turns a dreadful classroom problem into something easily solved through the magic of an understanding and wise teacher. Would that it were that simple!
Likewise, the initiation of children into the chaotic world of eroticism and rivalries is depicted as being relatively easy to accomplish. These scenes of children trying to be adults in love were the least successful, in my opinion, because they were too obviously a contrivance.
The breast-feeding scene, despite its delicacy, cannot escape the inevitable trap of being both cloying and didactic. We can almost hear him pleading with us to recognize the beauty of motherhood. Again, I must emphasize that I do not disagree with him, But I was aware of being preached at.
Mr. Richet's soapbox speech - the film's culminating scene - reveals to us the director's inner motivations. Instead of stressing the need for firmness, discipline or realistic goals in the raising of children, he delivers a hackneyed cliché from the school of progressive pedagogy - that children should have their own political representation! Then, they could enjoy so many benefits, such as exemption from punctuality. One can only assume Truffaut was never called upon to resolve the contradiction inherent in this movie - that children should be cared for and loved on the one hand, and at the same time given whatever they desire. He has allowed his own personal suffering and resentments to cloud his judgment.
Despite these reservations, the film has great class and elegance. The actors (or non-actors) are wonderful.
There is perhaps one comment made by Mr. Richet that merits special attention. He notes the emotional regression suffered by boys who are switched from a boys' school to a mixed environment. At one time it was normal to separate the sexes. This was done not out of prejudice, but out of the realization that many problems can be avoided this way.
Finally, this intimate glimpse of rural France of 30 years ago stirs up much nostalgia, since the troubling and possibly unsolvable social problems of today make the capers of the kids in this film seem like...well, small change.