Les métiers d'autrefois : Femme Paysanne (2004)

Overview

Through the presence of Renée Bagelet, France's last cowherd, René Duranton pays a vibrant tribute to all the peasant women of France and the world. Full of humor and suffering, such is the life of 72-year-old Renée, who has been herding cows since the age of 8. She knows her land well. She only has four hectares, which is just enough for her eight cows, 80 chickens, and 30 geese. She doesn't need a tractor; she plows with her cows. For hay, she makes a cart and backs the team into the barn without any maneuvering. She prunes and milks the vines. The harvest meal ends late into the night, to the sound of the accordion.