Our TV favorites from September 9 to 15
Saturday September 9
A cataclysmic eruption. On January 15, 2022, a 57 kilometer high ash plume formed over a small island in the Tonga archipelago in the southwest Pacific. Hunga Tonga has awakened. This volcano, of which only a tiny part bursts the surface of the ocean, in fact presents a crater of four kilometers in diameter essentially underwater. The first minutes of this British documentary, fueled by videos captured on the spot by witnesses, are impressive. Giant tsunami, shock wave felt as far as Alaska, rain of stones, villages of the surrounding islands destroyed, population cut off from the rest of the world… But the subject is not limited to the sensational account of this disaster caused by the most powerful eruption never recorded. It returns, through rigorous but accessible scientific questioning, to the causes of this unprecedented phenomenon, in the wake of vulcanologists and tsunami experts dispatched to the scene. And invites us to think about the most appropriate means of prevention, when there are 50,000 potentially active and difficult to monitor underwater volcanoes around the world. Timothée Duboc
Sunday September 10
The director is mischievous. He points to the contrast between the attention paid by a family to turning off the light bulbs in their home and their mode of transport for their holidays. However, to go to Barcelona, she takes the air route… How to reconcile the desire to travel since the massification, in the years 1960-1970, of air transport and the climate crisis? Ways to decarbonize the sector are presented in this issue of Le Monde en face. But whether they are technological or organisational, their impact is derisory in the face of the ever-increasing volume of air traffic. The sociologist, economist and environmental activist interviewed call for sobriety, in order to drastically reduce air travel. According to Bertrand Piccard, environmentalist and adventurer, airline projections of doubling traffic within a few years are insane. The plane must remain a tool allowing the people who need it the most to move around. An informative documentary on the technical progress of the sector and realistic about their measured impact on the climate. Margaux of Pompignan
For viewers curious to discover Nicole Kidman’s career from a new angle, this portrait is highly recommended. From her first scenes in a teen movie (teen movie) in 1983, to her starring role in The Hours, the Hitchcockian blonde has always shown herself to be wise in her career choices. After having started in mainstream films, Nicole Kidman quickly sought demanding roles in auteur films (Portrait de femme, Eyes Wide Shut, Dogville…). “Through these daring artistic choices, the actress takes on the torments of all her characters to understand herself and free herself from the shackles of her time,” reports one of the experts interviewed. This very successful documentary follows the broadcast of Far Horizons by director Ron Howard. Catherine Escrive
Monday September 11
Did you know that there are 37 species of canids? And the latter are not always the tender doggies who squat on our sofas or lounge in the squares. This unique documentary presents us with specimens from all over the world: arctic wolf, Himalayan fox, African black-backed jackal… A fascinating panorama of these animals which are the most widespread carnivores on earth. Rarely alone, these intrepid predators live in packs. Each clan has its own hierarchy, and even its own language that the production of France 5 deciphers for us. The camera closely follows the daily life of the dog and his fellows, alternating between ferocious action shots and magnificent escapes into nature. . Antonia Barot
After saying goodbye to the group of friends who had made the success of the first three seasons of this touching and endearing series, five new young patients arrive at the hospital with pathologies as serious as they are different: Benji (sentenced by a degenerative disease), Gabriel (unable to walk again despite the success of his operation), Zoé (admitted for a more serious arm fracture than it seems), Emma (waiting for a kidney transplant from her mother) and Nathan (victim of a serious surfing accident). By totally renewing its cast, but keeping all the hospital staff, the production managed to renew itself brilliantly! Alongside these new faces, viewers will recognize familiar actors in certain characters: the imitator Michaël Gregorio, Blandine Bellavoir (Les Petits Murders…), Liliane Rovère (Ten percent)… From the first episode, we finds a beautiful quality of writing which knows how to play on the sensitive cord without sinking into the emphasis, to pass with fluidity from tears to laughter and to make brief and fine allusions to the initial heroes without lending the side to the comparison. Marie-Hélène Servitie
Tuesday September 12
Can historical monuments become profitable businesses without losing their soul? The answer seems positive, according to this documentary which gives to see some examples: a creator of theme parks uses the cave Cova Bastera, in the Pyrénées-Orientales, to install automatons of dinosaurs there; the owner of the Norman Château du Taillis hosts historical re-enactments for festivals; while the Kléber Rossillon company invests in the repair of a steam train in Ardèche and the animation of the castle of Suscinio in Morbihan… The religious heritage is only touched upon at the end without us being able to grasp the issues of its possible new uses and the director goes astray for a few minutes, off topic concerning a scam case. But our active entrepreneurs clearly explain both the heritage constraints and the essential compromises to seduce and renew the public. We feel that their motivations go beyond money: each in their own way, they are determined to respect these places and to pass them on in better condition than when they acquired them. Motivating! Sophie Laurent
Wednesday September 13
On the theme of “jumping borders”, this excellent issue of the third season of the collection focuses on these communities that have freed themselves from the borders of metropolitan France. Thus the 19th century saw Spaniards – baptized the “swallows” because of their black dresses and their seasonal passage – crossing the Pyrenees to come and help in the manufacture of espadrilles in the Basque Country. In Brittany, at the same time, Finisterians crossed the Channel to sell the “Johnnies”, the famous Roscoff onion, to the British. Two illustrations of the irrepressible human need to improve one’s condition and two examples of living together at the origin of two heritage treasures. M.-H. S
Colette, 91, Nicole, 88, and Roger, 98, have, on the initiative of the latter, decided to repatriate to France the body of their brother Albert, buried for seventy-seven years in a military cemetery. French in Oran. This much loved and admired elder joined the Free French Forces. He was revolted by the ban which had been placed on him, by Pétainist laws, from continuing his studies because of his Jewishness. Albert “fell for France” at the age of 21, at Monte Cassino. At the end of his life, his siblings cannot bring themselves to leave him isolated and far from his family. She will have to battle administrative hell and learn to tame digital technology: Siri, SMS, emails and tablets. A moving film where humor and joie de vivre remain very present. Marie-Hélène Servitie
The program, inaugurated in October 2022 by Dominique Verdeilhan and which broadcasts extracts from a hearing, this time takes the viewer to the Assize Court of Saint-Omer, in Pas-de-Calais. A mother is accused of shaking her baby thirteen years ago. Sentenced at first instance to eight years of imprisonment, she appealed the decision. From her box, she does not budge: it is not she who injured the infant. However, she had confessed to being the author of the crime while in police custody and mimed the gesture… The seriousness of the facts and the stubbornness of the accused to challenge henceforth arouse a palpable tension. Just like the testimonies: that of the expert who brings the demonstration, doll in hand, of what it means to shake a baby, or of the ex-partner, designated by the accused as guilty. Or the victim, whom the president will look for in the lost room. The analysis, given at the end of the broadcast by a magistrate and a lawyer invited on the set, provides valuable tools for understanding the functioning of justice. A program broadcast certainly late, but oh so informative! Sensitive souls refrain. Charlotte Gambert
Friday September 15
Muriel Robin, Florence Foresti, Dany Boon and the late Jean Rochefort are the headliners of this edition of Secret Archives, entitled Les maîtres du rire. This evening, we will respectively follow the destinies of a young woman from Saint-Étienne, a self-taught Lyonnaise, a depressed Ch’ti of modest origins and a big scoundrel who likes to clown around. The magazine presented by Laurent Delahousse explores the journey of these personalities who managed to win the hearts of the general public. The show drew on mostly unpublished media: family photos, amateur films, testimonials from relatives, first appearances on the small screen… And it is with jubilation that we discover Muriel Robin’s debut with a troupe from Lot-et-Garonne, just like the appearances of Florence Foresti in Dominique Pipeau, the Minister of Problematic Affairs, on the set of Laurent Ruquier, and the comic talent of Dany Boon on stage. Finally, let us salute the vibrant tribute to Jean Rochefort, who knew how to elevate the art of derision to its peak. A beautiful evening in perspective with many revelations, but no question of revealing more! Estelle Couvercelle
