The Wanderer (1967)
"Le grand Meaulnes" (original title)

Rural France, the 1890s. Always in motion, Augustin wanders three times. First, as a youth, while a boarder near Bourges, he's lost in the woods and finds a chateau where an engagement ... See full summary »

Director:

Jean-Gabriel Albicocco

Writers:

Alain-Fournier (novel), Jean-Gabriel Albicocco (screenplay),

Stars:

Brigitte Fossey, Jean Blaise, Alain Libolt

Cast

Cast overview:
Brigitte Fossey	...	Yvonne de Galais
Jean Blaise	...	Augustin Meaulnes
Alain Libolt	...	François Seurel
Alain Noury	...	Frantz de Galais
Juliette Villard	...	Valentine Blondeau
Christian de Tillière	...	Ganache
Marcel Cuvelier	...	Monsieur Seurel
Thérèse Quentin	...	Madame Seurel
Serge Spira	...	Mouche Boeuf
Bruno Castan	...	Delouche
Elizabeth Guy
Henri Alain Dmurtal
Annie Fahr

Storyline

Rural France, the 1890s. Always in motion, Augustin wanders three times. First, as a youth, while a boarder near Bourges, he's lost in the woods and finds a chateau where an engagement party's in progress: there he falls eternally in love with Yvonne and she with him. Back at school, he hears she is in Paris, so he follows in a vain search and meets a woman, jilted by her lover. In the countryside a few year's later, Augustin's friend François finds Yvonne and brings Augustin to her. They marry, but the next day, Augustin leaves to fulfill a youthful promise he made to Yvonne's brother. François comforts the pregnant Yvonne as they await Augustin's return.

---

Plot Keywords:

based on novel

---

Genres:

Drama | Romance

---

Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

9 April 1969 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Wanderer

Filming Locations:

Henrichemont, Cher, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Madeleine Films, AWA Films, Pathé Consortium Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Version of Le grand Meaulnes (2006)

User Reviews

A very special and magical piece of movie history

It is a tragedy that this quite remarkable film remains virtually unknown and unobtainable. I have a VHS version that plays in B&W without subtitles. bought at the Alain-Fournier museum in France. It crops up at art houses as The Wanderer and may be obtainable on DVD under this name. It has never, to my knowledge, been shown on British television.

This film changed my life. The first time I saw it, back in about 1983, I sat through it twice in a row. I subsequently read the book, visited the locations in the film, all of them connected with the author, and wrote one of the several stage musicals based on the work.

What is most remarkable about the film is not just the visual intensity and dream-like camera-work - Vaseline on the lens for the strange domain itself - or the romantic and memorable score , but the quality of the performances from a largely unknown, in some cases amateur cast. Not only the luminous Brigitte Fossey, but a stunning performance from the young Alain Libolt, who appeared recently in Erich Rohmer's A Tale of Autumn. Meaulnes himself is unforgettably personified by a young man from Bourges hand-picked by the author's niece, Madame Isabelle Riviere, who oversaw the production. His name: Jean Blaise. He may to my knowledge have made only one film, but it is a performance that few trained actors could ever hope to equal. The final scenes are especially moving.

If you get a chance to see this, drop everything and go.

Andrew Lowe Watson