Les enfants du naufrageur

Eight children live on an island in Brittany ;like those of "the buttons war" ,they do not want to grow up to become like the adults they meet.

Aimed at the children's market ,but with a screenplay too complicated for them -and I do not mention nudity-,this movie did not find its audience ...

An old lady knows a lot of tales of long ago ,about a sailor she formerly knew, about a treasure from WW2.The children,spellbound, listen to her and never get tired of her story which is almost always the same .When she dies ,they are not convinced :people say it's an accident but "did she fall in the stairs or was she pushed?"

It is a confusing movie: At its best ,the film has a sense of mystery and takes advantage of the location ;at its worst,it's Enid Blyton's "the famous five" who investigate ,without a dog but with four more members in their club.Fortunately,the cast includes good actors: Jacques Dufilho,Brigitte Fossey and,in one of his last parts,Jean Marais .

Eight children live on an island ; like the "buttons war" children, they do not want to grow up ,because they are disappointed by the adults they meet every day.

Only two persons have won them over: the schoolteacher ,soon to be replaced by an 'old maid" they nickname "Cholera " and an old lady.

This old woman tells them tales of long ago ,about a wrecker, a treasure which would be somewhere in the sea or buried somewhere in this BrIttany island ;and although she actually tells them the same sstory ,they keep on listening to her,spellbound ...

But their old friend dies:although the grown ups say it's an accident,the children have their doubts :did she fall in the stairs or was she pushed ? They begin to investigate ,helped by the new teacher who is not a severe cantankerous spinster ,but an attractive woman in her forties .....

;It seems that the director can't make up his mind : as a movie aimed at the children's market ,his film did not find its audience :the screenplay is too complicated for kids .Besides there is nudity . At its best ,the movie displays a sense of wonder ,of mystery, the adults have lost ...but which is still present in their children's mind .

It may be the director's wish,but it is Fritz Lang 's reality : "moonfleet " comes to mind ,but too often ,the movie looks lile one of those investigations by Enid Blyton's "famous five"....

Fortunately ,the cast features good actors: Jacques Dufilho ,Brigitte Fossey ,and Jean Marais in one of his final parts .They make the movie watchable if not really memorable.