A Year in Provence

Peter Mayle's book is the type-specimen of the expat setting up in a (slightly) foreign land, and a wry set of vignettes of the learning experience. The film (or more properly telemovie) is an absurd - even offensive - exercise in stereotyping which panders to holiday nostalgia and the idea that France is stuck in a primitive past of 'characters' such as those we find in Marcel Pagnol's books/films and their later adaptations. That was 100 years ago! Even then they were 'characters' picked out for their end-of-bell-curve status.

Some reviewers mention with fondness the appalling house guest and the ridiculous Parisienne, both over-the-top embellishments, if not complete inventions. They are simply not believable, ridiculous cardboard cutouts, highly annoying and a complete detractor from the story. I wonder what Peter Mayle himself thinks of the 'extrapolation' of his book.

I will admit to having only watched the first 90 minute episode, but assume the rest is similar. Apart from a bit of personal nostalgia - I love Provence, the old villages and the countryside, and have been through some of the same experiences restoring a house in France (although the day-to-day reality is much more mundane and there are an awful lot of 'normal' people in France who would never make it into this movie) - I found this pastiche of 'characters', Pagnol, scenery and expatriate self indulgence, one of my least satisfying movie experiences for a long time. It's a movie I might well walk out of at the cinema.

I can get the scenery from the Tour de France coverage, the characters in all their richness from Pagnol, and the expat experience from (not always comfortable) reality. Better to watch a travel documentary - skewed of course, but at least some attempt at representing reality in an interesting way.

I don't believe that the smaller vignettes of the book could not have been turned into a movie. Obviously it would require a good storyline into which to weave them, but pickign a few and makign them 'episodes' was an easy way out.

The use of enough English mixed into the conversations as a mechanism to avoid subtitling is quite a good idea, but could have been done much better eg. the characters could have attempted some believable, halting/incorrect version in French and then quickly repeated in English as a sort of verbal subtitle, instead of speaking English at a Frenchman who ostensibly doesn't understand it and then in other places saying something quite fluently in French with an English word thrown in for some common word that they would clearly know (that would work if they were searching for a technical term). The French characters using occasional English words is quite believable. OK, this is a bit picky and might not jar so much on someone who only understands the English, but it could have been one of the saving graces of this film if done better.

I haven't read the book however I liked the series as a genuinely honest depiction of how the French and English get on. I have visited France many times and my parents now live there half the year. In a way I think the series may have been influenced too much by the French cast for English viewers tastes. The episodes are very innocent but really are about a couple getting on with their lives in a new environment and the obstacles they overcome. It saddens me greatly that people don't warm to this series more but I think it may have been a bit too ahead of it's time. With greater understanding of language and culture I believe this will appeal to viewers more as the years go on.

I have this on VHS, and I enjoyed it enormously. Every single scene had something to smile about, whether it was Peter Mayle struggling with french, or Challemagne the rooster. I have one question, Why did so many people ignore this series at the time? Of course, it fell victim to the Darling Buds of May, which is also wonderful, but this is so relaxing to watch.

Provence has never looked so beautiful, some of the landscapes were absolutely gorgeous. John Thaw gives a rock-solid performance, that is always overlooked. When I mention this series to anyone, they are either blank-eyed, or go on criticising the books. Lindsay Duncan is also wonderful as Annie, although I read somewhere, that Thaw's wife Shiela Hancock was originally asked to do the role before the producers decided she was too old.

Watch this series, you'll really like it. I am just angry, that this wonderful programme was ignored. 10/10 Bethany Cox

Great scenery, and a decent sense of place. Unfortunately, John thaw just calls in his performance, with lots of face pulling and yelling. Lindsay Duncan is much better, but isn't given a lot to do. The French locals are drawn too broadly, and are actually a distraction when on-screen. Still an enjoyable watch though, for the settings and scenery.

I have read several of Peter Mayle's books about living in Provence. And I have seen the BBC mini-series, "A Year In Provence," starring John Thaw and Lindsay Duncan.

To say that the BBC mini-series was "based on" the books by Peter Mayle is inaccurate. Mayle's books could not be directly adapted to television, because they consist mostly of small vignettes about living in Provence. Most of the stories in the books are written in the style of journal entries, and only last a few pages.

It is more accurate to say that the mini-series is "inspired by" Peter Mayle's books. The mini-series perfectly captures the spirit of Mayle's books by giving us a series of short, half-hour vignettes about living in Provence.

The story: Peter Mayle (John Thaw), a middle-aged advertising executive, retires from his London job and moves to a house in the Provencial region of southern France with his wife Annie (Lindsay Duncan). They want to live the "good life" -- but they quickly discover that, like all good things, the "good life" must be continuously earned, even in a paradise like Provence.

Each of the twelve half-hour episodes covers a different month in the Mayles' first "Year in Provence." Over the course of a year, Peter and Annie slowly adjust to life in their new home. Many of the episodes show them experiencing the "culture shock" of living in southeast France. In February, they must adjust to the "Mistral," the interminable Provencial wind that blows without stopping for an entire month. In September, they harvest the grapes from Peter's wine vineyard -- only to learn that the grapes will not be used to create a great wine, but instead will be processed with grapes from other vineyards into an "industrial wine" at a local factory. And in December, they learn the intricacies and headaches of local politics as a debate rages through their Provincial town over who will play Péré Noel (Father Christmas) on Christmas Eve.

Peter and Annie must also learn to live with the eccentricities of the French. These include Riviéré, their scruffy, unwashed neighbor who owns a wood full of high-priced truffle mushrooms; Antoine, the keeper of Peter's backyard vineyard; and the endless stream of workmen, led by the plumber, Mr. Columbani, who come to the Mayles' new house to fix up and remodel the kitchens, bathrooms, etc. As the year progresses, these people will become close friends of the Mayles.

In some of the episodes, tales from Mayle's books have been expanded into larger stories. These include the story of the rich woman who moves to Provence for the peace and quiet, only to find that her next-door neighbor has an unusually-loud and troublesome rooster, and the story of the truffle thief who would rather abandon his wife to the law than give up his treasure of stolen truffles.

Other episodes take stories from different sources. One episode re-tells the story of the French film, "The Baker's Wife," as Peter and Annie Mayle try to re-unite Godin, the local baker, with his wayward wife. But at least they have the decency to *acknowledge* where they stole the story. (When Godin's wife has run away, the depressed baker moans to Peter, "It's just like that movie, 'The Baker's Wife.' Except I don't even have a cat to keep me company.")

John Thaw provides a solid lead performance as Peter Mayle. He is a mild-mannered man who only wants to live a quiet, enjoyable life. But life in Provence has a way of throwing interesting and nettling obstacles in his path. At first, Mayle reacts to these problems with the disbelief and confusion of a native Londoner living in a strange new environment. But he gradually comes to accept these problems as part of the wonder of living in Provence.

Lindsay Duncan also turns in an admirable performance as Annie, Peter's wife. She is a smart, level-headed woman who can sometimes be more clever and insightful than her husband in solving problems.

And there are some great guest role appearances in the mini-series. Alfred Molina has an absolutely terrific part as Tony Havers, an obnoxious, uninvited English house-guest of the Mayles who takes over their house and refuses to leave. French actress Annie Sinigalia has a great role as the neurotic rich woman from Paris, who is attracted to Peter Mayle, but who ultimately can't adjust to living in Provence. And always-wonderful Frank Middlemass appears as an English expatriate who teaches Peter the rules of Boules, Provence's favorite pastime game.

And through it all, we get stunning views of Provence, with its mountains, hilltop castles, lavender fields, vineyards, quaint villages, and sun-drenched valleys that seem to stretch forever. "A Year In Provence" is like taking a trip to Provence, and touching its heart and soul.