Alexandre le bienheureux (1968)

Alexandre, an easygoing, carefree man, is a farmer in France’s Beauce region. However, his daily life is governed by “La Grande,” his ambitious but tyrannical wife, who wears him out by giving him an enormous list of chores every day and refuses to let him have a dog. When he gets angry, he eventually manages to get one anyway. Suddenly widowed, he feels greatly relieved and liberated from his toil. He decides to give himself what he considers a well-deserved rest and take the time to enjoy life. His behavior, by the example he sets, quickly causes a stir in the small village, and some of the residents decide to force him back to work. But they fail, and Alexandre begins to attract followers. One day, they kidnap his dog to make Alexandre get up. And he does. Alexandre promises to get up again to go fishing and play billiards once he has found his dog. He finds his dog and follows through. Under his influence, some of the villagers also start enjoying themselves. He grows closer to Agathe Bordeaux, who also likes to rest. Agathe learns that he owns a lot of land. Alexandre and Agathe are going to get married. When Alexandre sees that Agathe is beginning to behave like his former wife, he decides to call off the wedding. A chase ensues outside the church. He leaves with his dog. Asked, “Alexandre! Where are you going?”, he replies, “I’m going to see.” They conclude with, “You’ll tell us about it.”