Les mistons (1957)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

François Truffaut

Writer:

Maurice Pons (short story)

Release Date:

6 November 1958 (France)

Genre:

Short | Comedy

Plot:

During the hot summer, 5 kids, "Les Mistons", spy on two lovers. They follow Gerard and Bernadette everywhere...

Plot Keywords:

Based On Novel | Kids And Family

Cast

Gérard Blain	...	Gérard
Bernadette Lafont	...	Bernadette Jouve
Michel François	...	Récitant / Narrator (voice)

Also Known As:

The Brats (UK)
The Kids (USA)
The Mischief Makers

Runtime:

18 min | Japan:25 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Finland:S

Filming Locations:

Nîmes, Gard, France

Company:

Les Films du Carrosse

Trivia:

This short is available on the 2003 Umbrella release of "The 400 Blows".

Quotes:

Récitant: A virginal heartbeat has its own juvenile logic.

Movie Connections:

References Le coup du berger (1956)

A Light-On-Its-Feet Little Whatever

Francois Truffaut's pre-400 Blows toss-away is an understatedly entertaining little 18- minute film that takes a group of horny little boys and makes them a collective protagonist pursuing an older woman to play pranks on her, frustrated because they know that they could never have her for so many clear reasons. They antagonize her lovers and watch her simply be beautiful.

This tongue-in-cheek little whatever shows Truffaut and short story writer Maurice Pons's characters hustling all the woods, the streets, on bridges, and even inside a rural arena, and the kids have an exceedingly realistic affection to them, as this is in fact what boys their age would do with no technology or attention span. They play-fire guns at each other and devise their practical jokes against the lovers.

The object of affection is unbelievably attractive, and naturally so, and really that is all we truly know about her, as it's all any of these kids know about her. This short has the muted lack of direct involvement that Truffaut tends to have, and despite that there isn't enough time to get to know these kids or or their crush, it's enhanced to have the inscrutable, almost objectified feature in her character.