The Man Who Planted Trees

Winner of the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and Short Film Palme d'Or in 1987, this is a charming animated masterpiece about a man who devotes his life to planting trees. Directed by Frederic Back and edited by Norbert Pickering, this is the full English language version translated by Jean Roberts and narrated by Christopher Plummer. Jean Giono, the author of the short story upon which the movie is based, wrote the story after American editors in 1953 asked him to write a few pages about an unforgettable character. They intended him to write about a real unforgettable character, but he created the fictional Elezeard Bouffier. When the editors objected that no Bouffier had died in Banon, he donated the story to all humanity. It was soon after published by Vogue in 1954. Many people have assumed that Bouffier is a real person. Frederic Back passed away this week. His obit here. In his words: "politically engaged art is both possible and worthwhile."