Le Maison de Bois (Pialat, 1971): BFI Southbank, 12pm
This screening is presented by A Nos Amours, with am introduction by David Thompson. A Nos Amours is a collective founded by Joanna Hogg and Adam Roberts
dedicated to programming, promoting, understanding and enjoying
over-looked, under-exposed or especially potent cinema.
BFI introduction:
This restoration finally allows modern audiences to see Maurice
Pialat’s landmark series, which he regarded as his finest work, in all
its glory. Set during the tumult of the First World War, Pialat’s film
focuses on the lives of three boys who were sent for safety to the
countryside by their respective parents. Opening in 1917, the drama
finds Hervé, Michel, and Albert having mostly forgotten their real
parents, after spending years with Albert Picard, his wife and two
children. As they grow up, they witness the impact of war and the subtle
changes of life in the village. Working mostly with non-professional
actors, Pialat’s film is striking for its naturalism, creating an
immersive portrait of life in and around the country village. A key
location in the drama is the school, with its stern yet understanding
teacher played by the filmmaker. Unseen for years, La maison des bois
should now sit alongside Ken Loach’s equally bold Days of Hope (1975) as
one of the finest achievements of 1970s television.
Ian Haydn Smith, writer and curator
Chicago Reader review:
Maurice Pialat’s 1971 TV miniseries, set in a rural French community
toward the end of World War I, is bracingly devoid of sentimentality,
building emotion through accretion of details and an unvarnished yet
ultimately generous view of humanity. A gamekeeper (Pierre Doris), his
wife (Jacqueline Dufranne), and their two grown children welcome three
displaced Parisian boys into their secluded home in the forest. One of
the youngsters (Herve Levy), troubled by his parents’ mysterious
absence, begins acting out, but his warmth and spontaneity disarm many
of the locals—including the gamekeeper’s boss, an aloof marquis with
some dark secrets of his own.
Andrea Gronvall
Here (and above) is the trailer.
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