Martine

Summary: 1952 BBC production of Martine by Jean-Jacques Bernard.
Theatre play: Martine by Jean-Jacques Bernard (1888-1972) [more information]
Play synopsis: A ‘poignant tale of a summer romance in the French countryside. [...] The situation is classically simple. Julien, a young man returning from active service in Syria, meets a peasant girl, Martine, on a blisteringly hot afternoon in the French countryside. Their mutual attraction ripens into something more when they discover they are village neighbours. For Julien, an ambitious journalist awaiting the arrival of a prospective fiancee, their dalliance is a pleasing summer interlude; for Martine it arouses dreams and desires that can never be fulfilled. But what makes the play so moving is the way it quietly exposes the gulf between Julien and Martine in terms of class and education.' Source: Michael Billington’s review of a 2014 production at the Finborough, published in the Guardian at http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2014/apr/27/martine-review-finborough-theatre.
Production history: Dated to 1922.
Date of transmission: Sunday 11 May 1952
Time: 9.15-10.30pm
Channel: BBC Television
Production company: BBC