Maurice Pialat's Masterpiece Receives Restoration in New Trailer for La maison des bois

      One of the most significant restorations of the year is Maurice Pialat’s seven-part saga, La maison des bois (The House in the Woods), which tells the story of a family living in rural France after World War I. Previously accessible only in poor quality, the 4K restoration was completed in 2024 by the French National Audiovisual Institute using the 16mm negative and 16mm magnetic tape. It is set for a theatrical release by Janus Films starting on April 22 at NYC’s Film at Lincoln Center, and both the first trailer and an attractive poster have now been unveiled.

      The synopsis states: “Epic yet intimate, sweeping yet personal, La maison des bois (The House in the Woods) is regarded as one of the greatest accomplishments in the history of television and the magnum opus of renowned director Maurice Pialat. Created for French television in 1971, Pialat and screenwriter René Wheeler developed a seven-episode, nearly 400-minute miniseries that examines the effects of World War I on a simple French family in the countryside. Through a naturalistic lens, Pialat and Wheeler depict the historical breadth of the conflict and the subtle ways in which the daily routines and traditions of a small town—such as church, school, and taverns—are irrevocably altered by it.”

      “At the heart of the richly woven story are the Picards, led by Albert (Pierre Doris), the gamekeeper for a local marquis's wooded estate (Fernand Gravey),” the synopsis goes on. “Together with his gentle wife, Jeanne (a moving performance by Jacqueline Dufranne), they raise two teenagers—Marcel (Henri Puff), who faces the threat of conscription, and Marguerite (Agathe Natanson), who is contemplating marriage—while also providing refuge to three abandoned boys during this time. Among these boys, the most lively and soulful is Hervé (Hervé Lévy), whose transition from boyhood to adolescence, along with his role as a surrogate child to the Picards and his hope for a reunion with his soldier father (Paul Crauchet), gives La maison des bois its emotional core—a sweeping narrative that delves into the longing, loyalty, and resilience that uphold humanity in the face of profound loss.”

      Check out the trailer and poster below.