The Hundred Books of Men

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'.

1. 1. Le Petit Prince de Antoine de Saint-Exupéry

   1970-06-07 · 33m

   '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.

2. 2. Le Petit Chose

   1971-02-03

   'Little Good-For-Nothing' or 'Little What's-His-Name' by Alphonse Daudet.

3. 3. Le Noeud de vipères

   1971-04-07 · 50m

   'The Knot of Vipers' by François Mauriac. A reading of Mauriac's novel that combines personal accounts with adapted scenes.

4. 4. La Chartreuse de Parme

   1971-11-17 · 75m

   'The Charterhouse of Parma' by Stendhal.

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   5. Du côté de chez Swann

   1971-12-22

   'Swann's Way' by Marcel Proust.

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   6. A la recherche du temps perdu

   1971-12-22 · 60m

   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.

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   7. Martin Eden

   1972-01-24 · 51m

   '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.

8. 8. Le portrait de Socrate

   1972-01-26 · 60m

   The portrait of Socrates.

9. 9. L'exode

   1972-02-23

   The biblical Book of Exodus.

10. 10. Les Souffrances du jeune Werther

    1972-03-22 · 60m

    'The Sorrows of Young Werther' by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe.

11. 11. L'île mystérieuse

    1972-04-15

    'The Mysterious Island' by Jules Verne.

12. 12. L'Enfance de Gorky

    1972-04-26 · 55m

    'My Childhood' by Maxim Gorky.

13. 13. Gargantua

    1972-05-24 · 60m

    'Gargantua' by François Rabelais.

14. 14. Jude l'Obscur

    1972-07-26 · 30m

    'Jude the obscure' by Thomas Hardy.

15. 15. Robinson Crusoe

    1972-12-20 · 60m

    'Robinson Crusoe' by Daniel Defoe.

16. 16. Histoire de la Révolution

    1973-07-30

    'History of the Revolution' by Jules Michelet.

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    17. Alice aux pays des merveilles

    1973-12-28 · 60m

    '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!