La Maison des Bois: Episode 1

During WWI, Herve, Michel and Albert, three kids from Paris, have found shelter from life under the constant threat of bombing at the house of Albert Picard, a gamekeeper, his wife, Maman Jeanne and their two grown-up children, Marcel and Marguerite. The children attend the local school and also serve as choir boys at the local church. While helping the verger prepare for a funeral, they talk the all-too-willing man into tasting the mass wine. The series gives great insight into French village as well as the mores of the period as each episode brushes lightly on issues such as war, women’s condition, patriotism, education, etc… The story also follows closely Herve, the most sensitive of the children, as he searches for relationships that might help him overcome his sense of loss and abandonment. The series bears the trademark style of Maurice Pialat: strong realism, long takes, improvisation and wonderful performances from an ensemble cast of professional and non-professional actors.

Credits: Producer, Pierre Long ; director, Maurice Pialat ; photography, Roger Duculot ; music, Maurice Ravel.
Cast: Pierre Doris, Jacqueline Dufranne, Agathe Natanson, Herve levy, Fernand Gravey, Maurice Pialat.