On the Road to Pastures New by Maurice Moyal

“For sheep-farmer Jean Chemin from St. Martin de Crau, a tiny village in southern France, the summer drought marks the start of the yearly trek that takes his flock of 2,300 sheep and goats from the level grazings of the plain to Alpine pasturelands two hundred miles distant and eight thousand feet high. The flocks must be slowly acclimatized by travel on foot and mainly by night to avoid the scorching heat of the day and the busy impatience of the roads.

Every year this march takes place; a march reminiscent of the days of Abraham, in which the shepherds, their dogs, and their flocks move slowly amidst mountain scenery of breathtaking beauty, often surrounded by danger from man, from the mists and clouds of treacherous passes, and buffeted by summer storms.
To tell us the story of this odyssey M. Moyal and his cameraman accompanied the sheperds on their yearly move. …

M. Moyal conveys much of the tension and wonder in this narrative of shepherd life and custom persisting from ancient times into the urban bustle of modern Europe. He also shows that high adventure, which so many seek in far-away lands, is here, in the common life of the provinces of France.”