THE RETURNED CONTEXT

Fast Facts - General Context

1. The genre is an unusual mix of ‘zombie’ and ‘poetic realism’.

2. It is based on a French film called They Came Back from 2005.

3. It is made in France

4. It won an international Emmy for best drama series in 2013

5. It was produced by Haut et Court and distributed in France on Canal + in 2012.

What is Haut et Court?

• Haut et Court are an independent production company, they produced the original film They Came Back which the series is based on

• They are known for their artistic and prestigious content.

Distribution in France:

• Canal + was France’s first commercial television channel, starting broadcast in 1984.

• Canal + carries all types of programming, including television, film, drama series and sport

• Canal + distributes some free content, but most of their content (including The Returned) is encrypted, requiring viewers to pay a subscription to watch - subscription content does not have adverts

• The first episode had 1,4 million viewers, making it the second most popular show ever on Canal +

Distribution Worldwide - Fast Facts

• UK - Played on MoreFour in the UK, attracting 1.9 million viewers. MoreFour is owned by Channel 4, and focuses on ‘lifestyle’ reality shows, documentaries and foreign dramas, like The Returned.

• US - Played on Sundance TV. The show was remade as an American television show in 2015. The remake only ran for 1 series.

• Canada - Played on Space

• Australia - Played on SBS Two

Product context - Distribution, production and creation

• The set episode is episode 1 of series 1, it was originally broadcast on Channel 4 at 9m in 2013.

• It is a French supernatural thriller, created by Fabrice Gobert and produced by Haut et Court. It was originally broadcast on the Canal + network in 2012 and was inspired by the French movie Les Revenants (2004). It ran for 2 series and 16 episodes.

• The main distributor was Zodiac Rights and the programme was shown globally in over 70 countries.

The Migrant Crisis: A Timeline

1990s-1999

• Late 1990s - People from many countries, fleeing war and persecution in their home countries, arrive in Calais. Most are trying to reach the Uk, many try to stow away on lorries

• 1999 - The Red Cross establish Sangratte - a large warehouse designed to house 600 refugees

The Migrant Crisis: A Timeline

2002

• Over 2000 people are living in Sangratte in squalid conditions

• The French government agree to close the camp. Some migrants are allowed in to the UK and given 3 month work permits, others are given residence permits in France

• New migrants continue to arrive. With Sangratte closed, many live in makeshift outdoor camps in the area surrounding Sangratte facility, that become known as ‘Jungles’

The Migrant Crisis: A Timeline

2002-2012

• 2002-2009 - The police repeatedly raid and bulldoze the ‘Jungle’ camps, only to have them crop up again

• 2004 - The original film ‘The Returned’ is released. The director states that the film acts as ‘a resonance to real elements, such as Sangratte’

• 2012 - ‘The Returned’ is adapted for television by show runner Fabrice Gobert.

How is The Returned a metaphor for migrants?

The ‘Returned’ can be read as symbolic of refugees arriving in France, unexpected, unwanted and treated as ‘other’.

How is The Returned a metaphor for the Calais and Syrian crisis?

The show aired as the Syrian migrant crisis was dominating French/European news (Jungle camps). French audiences would easily connect the show’s imagery with these events.

How is The Returned a metaphor for the treatment of ‘others’?

The living often treated the Returned as suspicious, dangerous or not fully human - echoing how migrants were represented in media/politics.

• ‘Savages’ ‘Threats’ ‘Illegals’ ‘Battle of Calais’ (The Sun) ‘Send in the army’ (Daily Mail)

How can the audience read The Returned?

While not every viewer will see the allegory, critics argue The Returned reflects France’s unease about migration, exclusion and responsibility for ‘others’.

What is a Flexi-Narrative?

A combination of Series and Serial elements.

Some narrative threads will be wrapped up in an episode while others will carry on

What are 5 conventions of the Zombie Horror Genre?

1. Zombies are dead bodies come to life. They are mindless and have no individuality. They often symbolise consumerism and conformity.

2. The main characters are often a group of survivors who fight among themselves

3. Zombie Movies use a visceral aesthetic including blood, gore, flesh and unsettling sound design

4. Governments and other authorities are shown to fall

5. The collapse of social order means characters are faced with moral dilemmas.

How is The Returned Poetic Realism?

Visual style, Enigmas, Nature of Human Condition, Gobert and Fatalistic

Visual style

• Spare and sharo but beautifully constructed

Sense of impending doom

• Enigma codes, the dam, the horde

Fatalistic

• Victor’s visions of the future. He is doomed to foretell the future but be ignored.

Nature of Human Condition

• Man's morality. Focus on the irony and bitter sweetness of loved-ones returning but things have moved on. They become displaced and marginalised characters who struggle to fit in. Last chances of happiness.

Fabrice Gobert stated ‘I love silences…. I love people looking at each other. I love suspended time’