I saw this mini-series back when it first aired in 1992-1993. It made me pick up the book and read it over the summer. Because the story follows the characters over 20 years, there will be some spoilers in the summary otherwise it really won't tell you much. Set in the late 19th century-early 20th, Dr. Lafrenière leaves his wife and 5 daughters in Montréal to set up a new practice in the backwoods of Québec. They will rejoin him once he is more settled. There he makes friends with many good folks, and a couple of enemies. He falls in love with the beautiful Marianne Sauvageau, a native, and they have a son, Clovis. The story follows them, their loved ones, and their friends and enemies throughout births and deaths, love stories and bitter rivalries. With some twists and turns here and there.
I thought that it was very well acted, and it satiated my hunger for a tragic romantic story. And I have to admit, most of the characters were very pleasant to look at. It was filmed in the country and the woods of Québec, and although I haven't seen this movie again in a decade, I still remember vividly how beautiful it was. The rivalries between the protagonist and the antagonists are pretty black and white, in the sense that you really root for the good guys and you truly despise the bad guys. There are not many subtleties there, although the protagonists are tragically flawed in some ways. The rivalries between the rich vs. poor are there, as well as educated vs. non-educated, Caucasians vs. Natives, English vs. French, blind devotion to the church vs. moderation and natives beliefs. It's not the best movie in the world, but it makes for a good story that is well told, and it is a good means of escape that we all need every now and then.
I thought that it was very well acted, and it satiated my hunger for a tragic romantic story. And I have to admit, most of the characters were very pleasant to look at. It was filmed in the country and the woods of Québec, and although I haven't seen this movie again in a decade, I still remember vividly how beautiful it was. The rivalries between the protagonist and the antagonists are pretty black and white, in the sense that you really root for the good guys and you truly despise the bad guys. There are not many subtleties there, although the protagonists are tragically flawed in some ways. The rivalries between the rich vs. poor are there, as well as educated vs. non-educated, Caucasians vs. Natives, English vs. French, blind devotion to the church vs. moderation and natives beliefs. It's not the best movie in the world, but it makes for a good story that is well told, and it is a good means of escape that we all need every now and then.
