Addressing the Great Saint Bernard Pass directly, the narrator tells the story of the region, from the first hunters to the passage of Bonaparte’s armies. The silence in the peaks of the mountains is broken by the arrival of the first nomadic people, then by the clamour of the wars which have shaped the history of Europe (Hannibal, the Roman emperor; Attila; Marignano). Saint Bernard founded a refuge and a monastic order in the Pass, to rescue lost travellers. The retreat of the Swiss army against Bonaparte’s troops introduces the final tableau, which celebrates Peace and Charity.

Shadow theatre

Not specified

Switzerland

Geneva

Printed

Peace

Charity

Shelter

Mountain

Alps

Heroism

Monk

Nature

Epic

Lyrical

Le Saint-Bernard (front cover)

French

Hunter

Warrior

Hannibal

Horse

Elephant

Julius Caesar

Attila

Saint Bernard

Sculptor monk

Napoleon

Apotheosis

Addressed story

Battlefield scene

Le Saint-Bernard

The Saint-Bernard

In the Valais canton, the sun rises over a pathway and a small wooden house. The mountains appear in the background. It is spring; the goatherd’s horn can be heard in the valley and the goats come running. The village of Savièze comes to life: the girls riding on mules’ backs go to work in the vineyard, two women are chatting, the pigs try to run away from the farmers,… A family of English tourists goes on a walk guided by Lord Quick, who is leading his daughters as a shepherd guides his flock… A storm breaks out in the valley, forcing the tourists, the shepherds and the animals to seek shelter. After the storm, the hikers finish climbing the high mountain and a chamois hunt resumes. Bells and prayers can be heard as a procession slowly walks towards the old chapel of Savièze: the women, the penitents, the priests, the altar children and the elderly are all part of it. The village finally celebrates Christmas before falling asleep under the snow.

All audiences

Printed outline

Seasons

Storm

Bucolic

Christmas

Tourism

Realist

Comical

Outline of Henri van Muyden's Goatherd for En Valais, copied in Le Sapajou.

Goat

Shepherd

Tourist

English man

Painter

Bull

Porcher

Chamois

Daughter

Penitent

Choirboy

Old man

Priest

Barker

Procession

Song

Comical foreign accent

En Valais

A very big and very strong ogre terrifies an entire village. As the ogre sleeps, digesting a cow he has eaten, the inhabitants leap at the chance to tie him down. When he wakes up, they tell him they will not free him unless he does something useful, such as cleaning all the houses’ chimneys and blowing on some clouds so that it rains. Once the ogre has accomplished these tasks, the villagers have him believe that another ogre claims to be stronger than he is. The ogre goes into the mountains to challenge his rival. Because of the echo of his screams, he keeps thinking that his rival always is further and further away, so much so that he never comes back to the village.

Young audiences

Lanuza Empar de

Spain

Valencia

Tale

Village

Deception

Theatre at school

Echo

Didactic

Fantasy

Catalan

Ogre

Comic equivocation

Naive character deceived

Sound effects

Talking animal

L'ogre espantatotsitotes

The ogre thatscareseveryone

Young Chorten and his guide walk through the Himalayas, forced into exile to escape the invaders who have occupied their country. Chorten does not want to leave his country, but the guide explains that it is necessary to continue living. On the way, they encounter a Yak, who will lead them to the neighbouring country. They also meet two other children, young Tsangpo and his sister Song, who are also on the run. The journey is hard and tiring, and the little Tsangpo cannot resist the cold of the mountains. Shortly afterwards, the Yak also abandons them. Chorten and Song are exhausted, but the guide convinces them to continue their journey. And finally they arrive: the signal is a light cloud of butterflies surrounding the children.

Cagnard Jean

France

Alès

Exile

Child

Childhood

Cold

Journey

Children--Death

Death

Butterfly

Poetry

Himalaya

Domination

Freedom

Border

Hallucination

Soldier

Humour

Flight

Pathetic

Storyteller

Allegory

Alternating narrative / dialogue

Apparition

Brawl

Disguise

Active stage directions

Animated natural element

Speechless character

Repetition of a word

Scene of madness

Scene fragment

Silence

Warning signs

Des papillons sous les pas

Crows live in abundance on the corpses of humans who keep killing each other in war. The Fanes people, thousands of years ago, lived in peace and harmony with nature, thanks to a special bond with the marmots. Power was passed from mother to daughter, until Princess Dolasilla's mother was forced to break the old rules by abdicating and marrying the king of a foreign land who worshipped the god of war.From then on, under male control, the people of Fanes are at war.In the depths of the mountain, two little siblings, Aylan and Hudea, remain hidden. They wear a mouse costume to disguise themselves, because soldiers do not shoot mice. But the food in the cave is running out and the female ancestors of the Fanes people, their only hope of salvation, seem to be unresponsive. The king has finally decided to send his daughter Dolasilla, the rightful successor to the throne, to the battlefield: he wants to get rid of her so as not to lose his power. Aylan decides to separate from his sister and go out of the mountain to help Dolasilla in the battle, but they are both killed, along with many other Fanes. After the battle, the crows discuss the cruel nature of the human soul, while they eat the corpse of a child.