The Hundred Books of Men (1970)
Les Cent Livres des Hommes (ORTF, 1969-1973) was a series of literary programs created by Claude Santelli and Françoise Verny, and produced notably by Santelli, Jean Archimbaud, and Serge Moati. Planned for one hundred episodes but completed at thirty-nine, the series aimed to introduce great literary works, 'chefs-d’œuvre', to a younger audience through a mix of dramatization, reading, and documentary techniques. It marked a transfer of cultural legitimacy from writers and critics to a generation of television producers, offering a new model of educational and creative literary broadcasting - 'télévision d’auteur'.
Episodes: 17
Star Cast:
Episodes List
Ep.1 Le Petit Prince de Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
Air Date: 1970-06-07
'The Little Prince' by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. An introduction to the poetic and philosophical universe of Saint-Exupéry, blending analysis and adaptation of his masterpiece.
Ep.2 Le Petit Chose
Air Date: 1971-02-03
'Little Good-For-Nothing' or 'Little What's-His-Name' by Alphonse Daudet.
Ep.3 Le Noeud de vipères
Air Date: 1971-04-07
'The Knot of Vipers' by François Mauriac. A reading of Mauriac's novel that combines personal accounts with adapted scenes.
Ep.4 La Chartreuse de Parme
Air Date: 1971-11-17
'The Charterhouse of Parma' by Stendhal.
Ep.5 Du côté de chez Swann
Air Date: 1971-12-22
'Swann's Way' by Marcel Proust.
Ep.6 A la recherche du temps perdu
Air Date: 1971-12-22
A realistic and poetic evocation of Marcel Proust's 'In Search of Lost Time.' Halfway between an audiovisual adaptation and a portrait of the dandyish and reclusive writer, all in black and white by Claude Santelli, evoking the mystery, the intimacy, and the fatalism of existence.
Ep.7 Martin Eden
Air Date: 1972-01-24
'Martin Eden' by Jack London. Claude Santelli and Jean-Louis Muller interview Professor Las Vergnas, a specialist in American literature, who contextualises the book within the author's entire body of work and life. Then, Maurice Le Goas, a labor activist, shares his experience of Jack London's influence on him.
Ep.8 Le portrait de Socrate
Air Date: 1972-01-26
The portrait of Socrates.
Ep.9 L'exode
Air Date: 1972-02-23
The biblical Book of Exodus.
Ep.10 Les Souffrances du jeune Werther
Air Date: 1972-03-22
'The Sorrows of Young Werther' by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.
Ep.11 L'île mystérieuse
Air Date: 1972-04-15
'The Mysterious Island' by Jules Verne.
Ep.12 L'Enfance de Gorky
Air Date: 1972-04-26
'My Childhood' by Maxim Gorky.
Ep.13 Gargantua
Air Date: 1972-05-24
'Gargantua' by François Rabelais.
Ep.14 Jude l'Obscur
Air Date: 1972-07-26
'Jude the obscure' by Thomas Hardy.
Ep.15 Robinson Crusoe
Air Date: 1972-12-20
'Robinson Crusoe' by Daniel Defoe.
Ep.16 Histoire de la Révolution
Air Date: 1973-07-30
'History of the Revolution' by Jules Michelet.
Ep.17 Alice aux pays des merveilles
Air Date: 1973-12-28
'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' by Lewis Carroll. This program explores Wonderland from every angle: iconic scenes in which Brigitte Fossey portrays a mischievous Alice, readings by Claude Rich, and analyses of the 'delirious metaphysics' of this great literary classic. Lewis Carroll's universe never ceases to amaze!