Les Mistones Study Notes

LES MISTONES - THE BRATS / THE MISCHIEF MAKERS - 1957

A SHORT FILM BY FRANÇOIS TRUFFAUT

TRUFFAUT’S BACKGROUND

François Roland Truffaut (6 February 1932 – 21 October 1984) was not only a prominent French filmmaker but also an actor and critic. He is widely regarded as one of the founders of the French New Wave, a movement characterized by its innovative approaches to filmmaking. Truffaut's career spanned over 25 years, during which time he became an icon of world cinema. He was taken under the wing of André Bazin, an influential film critic, who helped him secure a position at Cahiers du Cinéma, a prestigious film magazine. Truffaut was a formidable film critic himself and was part of a close-knit group of writers that included notable figures like Jean-Luc Godard, Éric Rohmer, Claude Chabrol, and Jacques Rivette. He was a strong proponent of the auteur theory, which posits that the director is the primary creative force behind a film, and that their personal vision should be reflected in the work.

LES MISTONES: SYNOPSIS

The story of Les Mistones takes place in Provence, France, where a group of young boys, referred to as "Mistones" (which translates roughly to "brats"), become infatuated with a beautiful young woman. Jealous of her romantic relationship, they conspire to create mischief aimed at both the woman and her boyfriend.

LES MISTONES: THEMES

  • Adolescent Awakening: The film explores the transition from childhood innocence to adult complexities.
  • Love, Sensuality, Desire & Death: These interwoven themes reflect the emotional landscape of the characters and their experiences.
  • Nature, Beauty & Grace: The film is set against a picturesque Provencal backdrop, highlighting the beauty of the natural world.
  • Binaries: The narrative delves into contrasting elements such as love versus death, spectator versus spectacle, and life versus recreation.

LES MISTONES: CHARACTERIZATION

  • The Brats: These young pre-teen boys form a gang that is on the brink of adolescence. They are captivated by Bernadette and overwhelmed by a desire that they struggle to understand.
  • Bernadette: A free-spirited girl who loves nature and indulges in long bicycle rides. She is portrayed as graceful and is in love with Gérard, ignoring the boys' advances.
  • Gérard: A character who embodies youthful exuberance and emotional immaturity; he displays childish enthusiasm through violent outbursts. His dynamic with the Mistones is indicative of his own brattish nature.

LES MISTONES: NARRATIVE STRUCTURE

The film employs a fluid structure of beginning, middle, and end.

  • Beginning: The film opens with titles, and Gérard makes his appearance at the 4th minute, with the setup lasting approximately 2 minutes and 55 seconds.
  • Middle: This section explores the love affair between Gérard and Bernadette and the ensuing mischief from the boys. It lasts from the 4th minute to approximately the 16th minute. This section can be divided into two acts:
      - Act 2A: Focusing on the Mistones becoming mean and taunting the couple by scribbling their names at approximately 11:13 minutes.
      - Act 2B: Continuation of their mischief until the announcement of Gérard's death.

LES MISTONES: NARRATIVE DEVICES

Truffaut employs a variety of cinematic devices to enhance the film's sensuous nature.

  • Trick Effects: The film incorporates reverse motion in playful sequences (like the boys playing cops and robbers) and slow motion for pivotal moments (such as the lovers' final kiss on the balcony).
  • Visual Energy: Despite being shot in black-and-white, the film captures the vibrancy of youth and summer, with vivid imagery of the French countryside.

LES MISTONES: NARRATIVE TECHNIQUES

  • The film features self-referential elements typical of the Nouvelle Vague, including a homage to the Lumière brothers' comedic short film L'Arroseur Arrosé (1895).
  • It contains predominantly linear storytelling with slight flashbacks to emphasize the protagonist's realizations, such as one of the boys recalling a couple's kiss and reflecting on Gérard and Bernadette.
  • Voice-over: This device provides insight into the boys' perspectives, thereby enhancing the narrative depth.
  • The film challenges the viewer's gaze: while Truffaut’s perspective predominates, the boys' point of view questions the nature of observation and the roles of spectator and spectacle.

LES MISTONES: SETTING

The film is located in Nîmes, situated in southern France, primarily in the countryside. The city’s location is notable for its Italian architectural influences exemplified in the theatre sequences and the overall backdrop.

LES MISTONES: VISUAL DESIGN

  • Utilizes long, fluid tracking and traveling shots to create a sense of continuity.
  • Brats' Static Nature: The stability of the brat characters contrasts with the free-spirited world around them, symbolically reflecting their emotional state.
  • Shot Techniques: Incorporates shots and counter shots, point-of-view shots, but avoids purely subjective shots.
  • Symbolism of Obstacles: Uses physical barriers like walls and iron mesh to represent the separation between the spectators and the spectacle.
  • Features extreme close-ups for dramatic emphasis, such as a newspaper reporting Gérard's death, scandalous postcards, and repetitive kisses presented in slow-motion.
  • Character Color Coding: Bernadette is largely dressed in white, save for key scenes, contrasting with Gérard's darker wardrobe, which foreshadows tragedy.

LES MISTONES: SOUND DESIGN

  • Music: Lyrical soundscapes romanticize themes of awakening and joy.
  • Voice-over: Provides psychological insight into the boys, a common New Wave technique.
  • Minimal Dialogue: The ambiance creates a unique and specific world that resonates with Truffaut’s vision.

LES MISTONES: PACE & RHYTHM

The film’s pacing is uneven, marked by alternating dynamic movement and static shots. Sudden aggressive outbursts from Gérard become abrupt in close-ups that jar the viewer's Emotional engagement.

LES MISTONES: FORERUNNER TO FRENCH NEW WAVE & TRUFFAUT’S DEBUT FEATURE - 400 BLOWS

Les Mistons made its premiere in Paris on 17 November and was well-received, primarily by Truffaut’s friends. The film later won the Best Director Prize for short film at the Brussels Festival of World Cinema the following year. In hindsight, it encompasses Truffaut’s thematic and stylistic obsessions, representing a marked departure from traditional French cinema norms, as evidenced when the children tear down a poster of Jean Delannoy’s film, symbolically challenging the tradition de qualité.

LES MISTONES: BRIDGE TO FUTURE WORKS

Although Truffaut aimed to disrupt the conventional filmmaking standards of his era, Les Mistons was imbued with echoes of cinematic history and established itself as a work with both homage and originality. Truffaut's approach signified a maturity in his filmmaking craft through various techniques such as voice-over narration and elliptical editing while showcasing the dynamics of childhood and adult relationships.

LES MISTONES: EXPERIMENTATION

Truffaut exhibited enthusiasm in experimenting with film techniques such as slow motion, extended travelling shots, and reverse motion. His ability to reference cinematic history is evident in the recreation of Lumière’s L’Arroseur Aroser, but with a twist reflecting the film's overall tone. The accessibility and nostalgic beauty of Les Mistons would go on to influence future works, like Jules et Jim (1961) and Tirez sur le Pianiste (1960).

LES MISTONES: LESSONS LEARNED

Truffaut shared that the process of making Les Mistons taught him the significance of narrative choice. He discovered a disconnect between the lives of the children and the lovers and emphasized the choice of story’s relevance over mere spectacle. This film became an investigative tool for observing realism through the children’s perspectives, shaping his subsequent work in The 400 Blows (Les Quatre Cents Coups).