As an adolescent watching this TV series in the 1970's, the appeal of the bevy of nubile young actresses in this series was obvious. On closer inspection however,the clever witty social commentary of the author, Gabriel Chevalier, on rural French civil and religious contradictions and conflict, engages the viewer and leaves a lasting impression.
The quality of the cast - Roy Dotrice,Kenneth Griffith, Cyril Cusack etc; the bravado and joie de vivre of the marvellous adaptation by Galton and Simpson and the vocal skills of the wry narration by the exemplary Peter Ustinov all combine to make this one of the best BBC co-productions ever undertaken.
Visually stunning, it is a major crime that this ever-relevant, de-bagging of pomposity and prudishness has all but disappeared. Why it has never been released on VHS / DVD needs explanation by the BBC hierarchy at the earliest opportunity! Are you reading this BBC? If there is a legal wrangle somewhere that needs sorting out, please do so immediately.TV series this good will not be made today - so please let us cherish the work of the past masters.
