"L'argent de poche (Small Change)" is one of the most wonderful, joyous, beautiful films ever made. It is Truffaut's finest film, a flipside, of sorts, to his epic "The 400 Blows".
The film is about childhood, plain and simple. The pains of adolecence, the enchantment of learning, the tediousness of school, kins, foes, the discovery of the opposite sex. Like "The 400 Blows", Truffaut sees his young protagonists not in a satirical or sarcastic way, but with genuine sincerity; these are people, too, and they're not stupid.
There is very little story. The story exists in the day-to-day adventures of various French children: Julien, an outsider from an abusive household; Patrick, the helpless young Don Juan who is still unsure of girls; Sylvie, the scheming daughter of the police chief; little Gregory, full of the zest for discovery; and the parents and teachers who play important roles in their lives.
There are many times when we, the adult audience, do not know whether to laugh or cry. We laugh because the children are cute and funny doing the silly things they do; but we cry because we remember doing those same things. And then there are the scenes involving the various adults, particularly the Prof, which remind us why adults are so important in the lives of children, even if it may not entirely seem so.
I would like to point out a few scenes which are among the finest I've ever seen in modern cinema: when Patrick and his friend attend the cinema with some girls; when little Gregory chases a cat outside his apartment; when one of the boys tells a dirty joke, but doesn't quite fully understand it; when Sylvie uses her father's blowhorn to turn the tables on her parents; when Richard is given a haircut by his friends; and when Patrick buys flowers for his friend's mother, of whom he's slightly smitten with.
But there is one scene here that captures the agony, wonderment, beauty, obliviousness, hilarity, and enchantment of childhood to its fullest: it is the last scene, when Patrick finally finds true love. The way Truffaut sets up the scene, the cinematography and the facial expressions of the children, make this scene rival the final scene of "Casablanca".
"L'argent de poche" is probably the best movie I've ever seen. Maybe it's because I'm a softie or that I'm nostalgic or that I love children, but this movie is life-affirming and represents everything wonderful about the cinema.
The film is about childhood, plain and simple. The pains of adolecence, the enchantment of learning, the tediousness of school, kins, foes, the discovery of the opposite sex. Like "The 400 Blows", Truffaut sees his young protagonists not in a satirical or sarcastic way, but with genuine sincerity; these are people, too, and they're not stupid.
There is very little story. The story exists in the day-to-day adventures of various French children: Julien, an outsider from an abusive household; Patrick, the helpless young Don Juan who is still unsure of girls; Sylvie, the scheming daughter of the police chief; little Gregory, full of the zest for discovery; and the parents and teachers who play important roles in their lives.
There are many times when we, the adult audience, do not know whether to laugh or cry. We laugh because the children are cute and funny doing the silly things they do; but we cry because we remember doing those same things. And then there are the scenes involving the various adults, particularly the Prof, which remind us why adults are so important in the lives of children, even if it may not entirely seem so.
I would like to point out a few scenes which are among the finest I've ever seen in modern cinema: when Patrick and his friend attend the cinema with some girls; when little Gregory chases a cat outside his apartment; when one of the boys tells a dirty joke, but doesn't quite fully understand it; when Sylvie uses her father's blowhorn to turn the tables on her parents; when Richard is given a haircut by his friends; and when Patrick buys flowers for his friend's mother, of whom he's slightly smitten with.
But there is one scene here that captures the agony, wonderment, beauty, obliviousness, hilarity, and enchantment of childhood to its fullest: it is the last scene, when Patrick finally finds true love. The way Truffaut sets up the scene, the cinematography and the facial expressions of the children, make this scene rival the final scene of "Casablanca".
"L'argent de poche" is probably the best movie I've ever seen. Maybe it's because I'm a softie or that I'm nostalgic or that I love children, but this movie is life-affirming and represents everything wonderful about the cinema.