Thursday, September 25, 2008

Review: The Fox and the Child




Have you ever dreamed about wandering in a forest everyday or making friends with a fox? Birds, trees and rivers or other nature things, seem to be more and more attractive to modern people. The farther we are away from outdoors, the more dreamful imagination we have toward it. The latest French movie, The Fox and the Child, which was built on beautiful fantasy, will certainly inspire your inner longing for natural lifestyle.
On that miraculous morning, when she was on her way to school, she met her fox. She was so beautiful that she loved her at once. While she was trying to approach the pretty creature, she found her. Their eyes met together. Though she vanished on the path soon, the short but magical glance became the very beginning of their friendship. From then on, the little girl went into the forest everyday, waiting for another unexpected meet with her fox.
The beginning of the movie was actually a real story of the director, Luc Jacquet. He had met a fox when he was a child. He couldn’t forget the meaningful glance with the fox. Therefore, he made the unfinished story into a movie.

A fox befriends a child. Does the plot make you think of a familiar book? Actually, the movie was adapted from a chapter in a French novel, The Little Prince.
“What does that mean tame?”
“It was an act that often neglected.” said the fox. “It means to establish ties.”

“What must I do, to tame you?" asked the little prince.
"You must be very patient," replied the fox. "First you will sit down at a little distance from me-- like that-- in the grass. I shall look at you out of the corner of my eye, and you will say nothing. Words are the source of misunderstandings. But you will sit a little closer to me, every day..." >

The Little Prince, which was written by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, has been a world-famous book for a long time. In The Little Prince, there are many strong hints of lives, which describe friendship, love, loneliness, selfishness..., etc. Similarly, in the movie, it is obvious that the interdependence between the fox and the little girl is a metaphor of the relationships between lovers.
On the other hand, the most successful part of the novel is that it is not only a children’s story but also a book for adults. The Fox and the Child did give me the feelings that it tried to be such a movie, too. In almost the whole movie, there are only two characters, the fox and the girl. The film was also filmed in a ten-year-old girl’s sight. However, though it did try to describe in an easier way, the hints are still too difficult for a child to understand. Because of the smooth and slow plot, some kids may feel a little bit bored. Other than The Little Prince, which is also an interesting book for most of the children, this is the only weaker part of the movie, but its Achilles heels.

Since there aren’t a lot of conversations, music plays an important role in the movie. The well control leads people’s emotions to the plot successfully. You can understand what the fox or the girl is showing easily by not only their expressions but also the music. It seems that the producers did take this part seriously. It even had three editions of theme songs, which are sung in Chinese, English and French.

People always ask something like, “Is this a good movie to see? What is it about?” They are actually silly questions. Some like this movie, some are not. I like this movie, you may not. But I can still tell you the answer. Yes. This is a good movie, which is meaningful and also beautiful. However, I can’t answer the second question. Movies are something that you need to see it by yourselves and then give your own opinions. To me, this movie is about the ties between people. What is your idea?
Go and enjoy the film. You may not like the plot, but the great music and the amazing forest views are also the things that you can’t miss.

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