When the Mountain Fell
Author: Charles-Ferdinand Ramuz
Originally aired: 26 October 1956
Plot synopsis: After an avalanche apparently wipes out the entire population of a small mountain settlement in the Swiss Alps, the inhabitants of a village at the mountain's base are shocked when, two months later, a survivor suddenly appears - has he returned from the dead? Based on a novel first published in 1947.
Favourite line: None.
Review: While listening to this episode, I kept thinking about the (excellent) French TV series The Returned, since this is also about a small, isolated community whose inhabitants begin to wonder if the dead are somehow returning to life. Unfortunately, this episode is nowhere near as interesting or intriguing. I have not read the novel upon which the episode is based, so I have no idea what this is like - it is, apparently, well regarded. Yet this adaptation lacks tension or excitement, and the human drama simply isn't very compelling - I found it hard to care about any of the characters. Fatally, this includes both the sole survivor of the avalanche and his wife, whose relationship left me entirely unmoved. Aside from the occasional hints at the supernatural - might the returnee in fact be one of the undead? - there is precious little here to hold the attention.
Rating: * *
