Gianni e il magico Alverman

This serie might not be an internationally well known show but it's 'big in Belgium'. Being recorded in the mid-sixties it was one of the pioneer series that was produced by the national t.v.-station of Belgium. Every man or woman who where young in the sixties and early seventies still talk about it now with a nostalgic glans in their eyes.

Every episode has, of course, a seperate plot, but the storyline trough out the series is as follows: The story is settled in the 16th century, during the spanish reign over Flanders. Johan, who is a sort of doctor, returns to his aunt and uncle after his studies. There he meets the alverman. This is figure is a kind of fairytale figure, with elements of midgets, dwarfs, hobbits, that kind of stuff. He has been banned by his king from the underground kingdom. To return to his home he has to accomplish some hard wishes from his king.

If you see the series today everything goes awfully slow and the story seem corny, but the show is something that must be appreciated for his nostalgia, for a time everything seemed naieve on television.