The Wild Child
1970 · Movie · G · 83 min · ★ 7.1 · 97% critics
In late-18th-century France, a child is discovered living in the forest with no language or social skills. Taken in by a determined doctor, the boy becomes the focus of a patient effort to teach basic communication, habits, and a place in society, raising questions about what it means to be “civilized.”
Also known as The Wild Boy
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Details
- Original title
- L'Enfant sauvage
- Years
- 1970
- Release date
- 1970-02-26
- Language
- French
- Rated
- G
- Runtime
- 83 min
- Max quality
- HD
- Critic score
- 97/100
- TMDB rating
- 7.1/10 (304 votes)
About
You’ll likely enjoy this if you want a quiet, compassionate true-story-style drama about learning and belonging, in the vein of The 400 Blows or Small Change; Not for you if you need fast pacing, big plot turns, or clear-cut answers.
Pros: compassionate teacher-student bond; thoughtful moral questions; touching, classic feel | Cons: very simple storytelling; understated, low-drama pace; ending feels unresolved
Themes
- experiment
- southern france
- civilization
- feral child
- punishment
- doctor
- based on memoir or autobiography
- reward
- tantrum
- wild child
- 18th century
- sign languages
Cast & crew
Jean-Pierre Cargol
as Victor, l'Enfant Sauvage
François Truffaut
as Le Dr Jean Itard
Françoise Seigner
as Madame Guerin
Jean Dasté
as Professor Philippe Pinel
- AM
Annie Miller
as Madame Lemeri
Claude Miller
as Monsieur Lemeri
Paul Villé
as Remy
- NM
Nathan Miller
as Baby Lemeri
Mathieu Schiffman
as Mathieu
Jean Gruault
as Visitor at Institute
Directed by François Truffaut