This 1971 production of famed director Maurice Pialat’s film about France during WWI first appeared as a series on French television. The current theatrical release is shown in two parts, each approximately three hours long. It is a tale of the ravages of war that are visited not only on the soldiers but on families left behind, and the children of war as well. At this time now, 2005, the acute despair and suffering of children in many parts of the world is painfully apparent.

World War I encroaches just beyond the classroom full of rambunctious boys in a small village in the French countryside in 1915. The tone of the film is established with the introduction of a teacher returning on leave from the war. A month or so later he will return seriously wounded.

Located a short train ride from Paris, the wooded setting of the farm of gamekeeper Albert and his wife Jeanne Picard offers a safe haven for three young boys about ten years old, who have been sent to live with the Picard’s away from the dangers of Paris. They have a beautiful daughter, Marguerite, whose fiancé may soon go off to war. Their son Marcel will also be called to fight.

One of the boys, Hervė, was left with the family several years earlier, and his father’s whereabouts is unknown. It is assumed he is a soldier and may have been killed. The Picards dearly love the boy and continue to care for him at their own expense. The other two boys’ mothers come to visit frequently and show their sons great affection. This leaves Hervė feeling abandoned and jealous.

But life goes on and so does the village gossip. The Marquis Georges de Fresnois lives a privileged life and is suspected, by some villagers, of murdering his young wife. He is a lonely and seemingly kind man, however, who befriends Hervė and likes his spirit, and offers the boy advice on living.

The local boys play at war with makeshift guns and borrowed helmets, and their bodies crumble in dramatic death throes when the enemy shoots them. The war edges closer as French soldiers camp just outside the town and the boys invade the encampment anxious for war stories ¾ until their mothers come to gather them back home. As the war progresses, it literally comes to their small town when a German plane crashes into a field during a dogfight, killing the pilot. Pialat allows a long, poignant look at the cost of war as the pilot’s sheet-cloaked body lies across the remains of the plane, guarded by a French soldier.

The movie effectively deals with how life changes with good-byes. The Picards must say what may be a final goodbye to their son Marcel and Marguerite’s fiancé as they leave on a train to join the military. Hervė says goodbye when his father visits for a short time, with his new wife and stepdaughter. When his father returns after the war Hervė must leave the Picards to live in Paris with his new family. Hervė’s most difficult farewell will come when he must see Maman Jeanne as she lies near death. This boy approaches being a young adult as the war draws to a conclusion.

As with other films of epic length, such as the recent "Best of Youth Parts 1 and 2" (2003 from Italy), you invest time and emotion as you get to know the characters. "House in the Woods" does not disappoint.

The film is somewhat reminiscent of last year’s "A Very Long Engagement," in that it looks at the affect of war on a family. This however, is much more personal than ‘Engagement,’ though not as intimate as "Best of Youth."

Women do have important roles in the film. However, the story is told from the point of view of young Hervė. The film makes known its strong call to patriotism, with more than a smattering of French history passed along in the classroom scenes. Francophiles will deeply appreciate this story.

If the truth about war is told the film will be sad. If you doubt that, see "Turtles Can Fly." None of these films infuses or confuses the story with star actors, contrived endings or special effects. Somehow the victory parades, hugs, kisses and champagne toasts don’t adequately compensate for the misery of so many people who will have loved ones that never come home. Those who do return will not be the same, for war fundamentally changes you. Other than the GI Bill after WWII when home loans and education assistance were given to veterans here in the US, the track record on putting your money where your mouth is on treating our veterans with respect is decidedly mixed. On this issue, there’s not more than a dime’s worth of difference between Republicans and Democrats.

This low-key story shouts volumes about the "fog of war". After WWI, there was WWII, Korea, Viet Nam, the Gulf and Iraq. Sadly, the beat goes on. Its not trite to say that war will end only when there is peace.