Henri Étiévant

Dries, a farmer and a widower, lives with his mother-in-law Grietje and his son Peter. He falls in love with Minna, a widow, and marries her despite the opposition of his family and friends. In anger his son Peter leaves home to enlist, while Grietje takes up her residence in another cottage. Six years pass, during which Grietje becomes acquainted with Minna's daughter Dina.

Story of a former galley slave who becomes a merchant. From the novel by Victor Hugo. (bfi.org.uk)

The incidents in this picture took place in 1803-4 when Napoleon was First Consul. In August, 1803, Napoleon discovered a conspiracy hatched in England in which three Englishmen were implicated. The aim of the conspirators was to restore to the throne of France one of the Bourbons. The Prince de Conde, father of the Duke D'Enghien, was in England at this time and he probably was associated with the conspirators.

Story set in the Middle Ages. A page and the daughter of a baron want to marry each other against the will of her father, who wants his daughter to marry another man. A sorceress predicts the future for the couple and provides the page with a bottle of poison for the other marriage candidate, which almost falls into the wrong hands.

Jean Valjean, a good man convicted of a minor crime, escapes from imprisonment and spends the rest of his life running from the vindictive and implacable man of the law, Javert. (imdb)

The Thenardiers and their small daughter, Eponine, and young son, Gavroche, are seen at their dingy country tavern. Here little Cosette, the daughter of Fantine, is seen performing drudgery and menial tasks. (imdb)

Maxime Vermont tries to get a financial help from his father-in-law, to no avail. Deeply indebted, Maxime attempts to kill his father-in-law so that he could make quick money.

Lieutenant René de Chantenay, lured into smoking opium by a pretty sinner, struggles in vain against this fatal passion. He has accepted a rendezvous for that very evening, and neglects to obey an order from the Préfet Maritime to put to sea aboard the submarine Triton for torpedo drills. The next day, barely out of the fumes of his drunkenness, the lieutenant read in the papers that the Triton had sunk to a depth of 100 meters.

French adaptation of the story of Don Quichotte by Camille de Morlhon.