by Allan Fish
(France 1978 780m) DVD2 (France only)
The Man with the White Beard
p/d/w Albert Barillé anim/art Philippe Landrot, René Borg, Jean Barbaud, Bernard Fiève, François Fiève m/sound Jacques Michau title music “Toccata and Fugue in D Minor” by Johann S.Bach
There certainly won’t be many more obscure entries than this in the selection, but you will have to forgive me this nostalgia. Here is a series very close to my heart, something I grew up with from the days when kids television seemed from an altogether gentler, more likeable time. The ‘Once Upon a Time’ of the title could not be more apt, as what we have here is a potted history of civilisation, of man’s history, told in twenty six just under half hour episodes. From the dawn of time to the future, man’s history is told accompanied by the day to day lives of a group of core characters as their descendants and ancestors are seen through time. (more…)