Eight children live on an island ; like the "buttons war" children, they do not want to grow up ,because they are disappointed by the adults they meet every day.
Only two persons have won them over: the schoolteacher ,soon to be replaced by an 'old maid" they nickname "Cholera " and an old lady.
This old woman tells them tales of long ago ,about a wrecker, a treasure which would be somewhere in the sea or buried somewhere in this BrIttany island ;and although she actually tells them the same sstory ,they keep on listening to her,spellbound ...
But their old friend dies:although the grown ups say it's an accident,the children have their doubts :did she fall in the stairs or was she pushed ? They begin to investigate ,helped by the new teacher who is not a severe cantankerous spinster ,but an attractive woman in her forties .....
;It seems that the director can't make up his mind : as a movie aimed at the children's market ,his film did not find its audience :the screenplay is too complicated for kids .Besides there is nudity .
At its best ,the movie displays a sense of wonder ,of mystery, the adults have lost ...but which is still present in their children's mind .
It may be the director's wish,but it is Fritz Lang 's reality : "moonfleet " comes to mind ,but too often ,the movie looks lile one of those investigations by Enid Blyton's "famous five"....
Fortunately ,the cast features good actors: Jacques Dufilho ,Brigitte Fossey ,and Jean Marais in one of his final parts .They make the movie watchable if not really memorable.
