MisterWhiplash Les Mistons displays Francois Truffaut's special gifts as a filmmaker in a nice shot of 18 minutes in Les Mistons, as he works with children, and a love story with the young. While the story is simple- five kids who've barely had their voices crack follow a young woman, Bernadette, who becomes their envy when she's dating Gerard- the execution is quite intelligent and involving. Before the 400 Blows and Breathless knocked around the streets of Paris for locations, Les Mistons shows their characters all over the place, in the woods, in the streets, on bridges, and even inside a rustic looking stadium of shorts (I loved these scenes, with their high angles and timing). And the children have a very, very realistic feeling to them, as this is indeed what kids their age do, if they have no technology or attention span. There's even a small kind of Cocteau quality to some of their scenes, like when they are play-firing guns at each other, or hatching their 'vicious' games against the love-birds.It also helps a good deal that the actress playing Bernadette is incredibly pretty, practically without trying, though it's not to say that Truffaut doesn't get some quixotic shots of her playing tennis or riding her bike. But it is without some doubt that the story will end with some tragedy, or at least some revelation of this double-sided way about youth, both for the invigorated like the kids or for the seemingly life-long blissful partners of Bernadette and Gerard. It contains the light quality of all of Truffaut's films, and while there isn't enough time to really get to know these kids or Bernadette (though for the latter it's better to have the mysterious, almost no-dialog quality about her), it works wonderfully- one of my favorite short films.

rbverhoef 'Les Mistons' is a short by one of the best French directors ever, François Truffaut. It was 2 years before his critically acclaimed 'Les Quatre Cents Coups' (The 400 Blows), and the greatness was already there.The story is about Bernadette, a girl so beautiful it is unbearable, so the narrator tells us. The grown-up narrator was one of 5 boys. Instead of showing their love the normal way, they tease the girl and her boyfriend. Yes, when little boys are in love, they do those things.The short is funny, dramatic and true. 'Les Quatre Cents Coups' was about a boy very misunderstood. The boy could have been one of the 5 from 'Les Mistons'. A very good short.

arthurpewty One of the best moments in the great short comes when Truffaut pays homage to/rips off the Lumiere short L'arroseur Arrose, involving one of the "mistons" stepping on a gardener's hose, causing him to get squirted in the face. Truffaut is acknowledging the French film heritage he will have to respect and continue, and he seems to have done pretty nicely. The short was recently put on video with another wonderful short, Antoine & Colette, which continues the adventures of Antoine Doinel a few years after The 400 Blows, as he falls and fails in love. The tape/DVD is worth seeking out

mike-544 Truffaut's first steps in filmmaking were towards adolescence and their response to the world. "Les Mistons" is not an enjoyable film probably because the young director captures beautifully the feeling of innocence and cruelty. It is a reminiscent film, keeping the viewers interested not just because it reminds them of their youth but also because of the rhythm: it's constructed like faded memories, and the passing of time comes in the end as a surprise. The opening shot, with a boy in his bicycle, is one of the most beautiful scenes ever filmed, as we instantly capture the essence of this truly unforgettable film. In French.