Learning French: French In Action

A long time ago I remembered sporadically catching part of a TV series called %26quot;French In Action%26quot; which was a series of over 50 episodes (30 minutes in length)on PBS that was designed to help you learn French by immersing you in the language.

As I was researching the Luxumbourg Gardens, the Wikipedia article mentioned that much of this series was filmed there. There was a link, so I followed it and found out that you can watch all 58 episodes on-line for free if you live in the US or Canada!!!

Since this series was filmed in the 80s, it is a bit %26quot;cheesy,%26quot; but it is a free language immersion learning tool. If you%26#39;re interested, here%26#39;s the link: www.learner.org/resources/series83.html

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This series is very good.

Interestingly, there was a rather serious brouhaha over the clothing worn by Mireille. Mireille had a very mature and womanly silhouette. Some objected to the revealing characteristics of her clothing and found it inappropriate for an educational program on public television. Others found her naturally attractive and applauded, even appreciated her femininity. In the end, nothing was changed and the natural appeal of Mireille adds greatly to interest in the series.

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This is very cool! Thank you--I registered and started my first %26quot;lesson%26quot; Yes, it%26#39;s cheesy, but that makes it more fun.

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How great! Thanks so much for this site. I will definitely check it out when I get up tomorrow morning. I can%26#39;t wait to get started with my French review!

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Wish I could get it in Australia. Just checked it out on google. Tres expensive!!

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There are companion books available through Amazon. I can understand the professor, but even while reading along, I have trouble understanding everything the cast says in French. Since it is visual, I pay full attention to the lesson, whereas I find my mind wandering off during audio lessons.

Since main characters are college age, they appeal to both high school and college students. I thought the episodes started out nicely, especially the one on geniology. The little sister was quite a scene stealer. Towards the end, especially the last two episodes, the quality deteriorated to ludicrous. I%26#39;m guessing there was a change in writers and/or they were rushing to get done.

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%26lt;%26lt;%26lt;Wish I could get it in Australia%26gt;%26gt;%26gt;

Doesn%26#39;t the link work provided by the original poster. All you need do is sign up and enjoy the program for free.

Additionally, there is a website for FIA devotees (such as myself).

http://fiafans.org/

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Californigander--thank you so much for this site. I just watched the second lesson (I think the first one is in english and I watched the first lesson which is in french). It had two of my favorite things in it--Stravinky fountains in Paris and Guignol marionnette show. I so adore both of these. I can%26#39;t wait to watch additional lessons. I plan to watch them all. I am so grateful to you for pointing this program out.

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from Sarasto --

%26lt;%26lt;and the natural appeal of Mireille adds greatly to interest in the series.%26gt;%26gt;

Uh, yes, she adds interest indeed . . . at least for the male half of the audience.

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Dear Sarastro

Yes I did try this already. I mean - how would they know I%26#39;m in Australia - right?

This is part of the message I got when I tried to access it:

%26lt;%26lt;Due to licensing agreements, viewing of the video French in Action - Orientation is restricted to network connections in the United States and Canada. Your connection appears to be based outside this area. For information on purchasing this program please see our list of international distributors%26gt;%26gt;.

However I will try your other suggestion.

Thanks!

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What a blast from the past! I still have the accompanying text for this series.

I%26#39;ll definitely be taking a look at the site.