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Language of the Wild
Coolidge continues Science on the Screen series with The Wild Child
Still from The Wild Child (1970)
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François Truffaut’s The Wild Child was released in 1970 to critical adoration and audience introspection. The plot, based on the true story of a feral boy found in the rural outskirts of Aveyron in Southern France, focuses on Dr. Jean Marc Gaspard Itard, a doctor at the school for the deaf which the boy is taken to, and his attempts to civilize the boy. Simple and stunning, The Wild Child leaves audiences questioning the degree to which we can be “civilized” without the aid of contact with civilization, and what the true meaning of these words is.
The Coolidge Corner Theatre will present the film on January 18, 2010 in conjunction with their Science on the Screen series in which the Coolidge presents a feature film or documentary with a basis in science, paired with exciting introductions by notable scientific figures. This monthly series is co-presented by the Museum of Science, Boston and New Scientist magazine.
The Wild Child’s themes of learned civilization and capacity to develop will be explored the lens of linguistics. As Dr. Itard attempts to domesticate the child, he (along with the audience) encounters many questions concerning the nature of language: What conditions are necessary for language to develop? How much of our ability to produce and comprehend language is innate, and how much do we acquire only with environmental stimuli? If an individual grows up in complete isolation, is language acquisition possible?
At the Coolidge before the film will be guest speaker Judy Shepard-Kegl (PhD, MIT.) The professor of linguistics (whose landmark discovery of an emerging signed language in Nicaragua in the mid 1980s developed in part by deaf children makes her especially apt to analyze The Wild Child) will begin the evening with a talk at 7:00 p.m.
For more information on the screening of The Wild Child or to purchase tickets, please visit www.coolidge.org.