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.