Marie Desmarais
Director
The Maple Leaf (1971)
Season 1
From 1535 to 1760, this story follows the Bellerose family, beginning with François Bellerose's arrival in New France with Jacques Cartier and culminating in Julien Bellerose's death. Through generations, the Belleroses embody the tenacity and courage with which families overcame adversity to build Canada, then known as New France. Each episode features a new generation.
Released Dec. 27, 1971
Episode 60 min
None+
Keywords: tmdb.family-history, tmdb.canadian-history, imdb.anthology
Production Companies: Radio Canada Productions, ORTF, Société Suisse de Radiodiffusion et Télévision (SSR), RTB
S1E1 - The Canadian Man (Le Canayen)
François Bellerose, wounded by two arrows during Jacques Cartier's Canadian expedition, loses consciousness as the French escape in the longboat. Indians carry him away, and delirium from fever sets in. Upon awakening, he faces his initial struggles to adapt.
Dec. 28, 1971, midnight
S1E2 - The Canadian Woman (La Canayenne)
François's fiancée, lost in Canada fighting Indians, joins settlers from France to find him living among them. She then reintegrates him into civilization.
Jan. 4, 1972, midnight
S1E3 - The Girl of Tadoussac (La Pucelle de Tadoussac)
Having escaped a ship, three bandits raid the Bellerose home, where only the women reside. Jean and Pierre Bellerose, aided by Iroquois Indians, pursue them to rescue the women.
Jan. 11, 1972, midnight
S1E4 - The Cross of Mont Royal (La Croix du Mont-Royal)
Jean Bellerose, a Frenchman, is the first casualty of the Iroquois resistance to colonial settlement, prompting a war between settlers and the Iroquois.
Jan. 18, 1972, midnight
S1E5 - A Burning Winter (Un Hiver Brûlant)
As Pierre Bellerose prepares to leave Santa Maria for Montreal with furs, the murder of a young Native American ignites tensions. Accusations fly against a French trader and even the mission's superior officer. Bellerose, witnessing the unrest, decides to investigate the murder himself.
Jan. 25, 1972, midnight
S1E6 - The King's Daughter (La Fille du Roy)
Arriving in Canada as one of 150 "filles du roi" sent to remedy the gender imbalance, Nicole d'Astier finds herself drawn to a solitary lumberjack who spurns her marriage prospects.
Feb. 1, 1972, midnight
S1E7 - Three Thousand Soldiers, One Woman (3000 Soldats, Une Fille)
François Bellerose rescues a drowning woman who claims to be from Boston and warns of an imminent English attack on Quebec, but the governor suspects she is a spy.
Feb. 8, 1972, midnight
S1E8 - The Caribus (Les Caribous)
Hudson Bay, 1694: Bellerose, a backwoodsman, must announce the French reoccupation of Fort Nelson (renamed Fort Bourbon) and renegotiate the fur trade with the Eskimos. Guided by a mixed-race Eskimo interpreter, Bellerose will face the daily struggle for survival in the unforgiving landscape.
Feb. 15, 1972, midnight
S1E9 - The Lord Of The Forest (Le Seigneur De La Forêt)
Canada, 1702. A suspicious death during a Bellerose logging operation ignites superstitious fears among the lumberjacks, who blame the "White Lady."
Feb. 22, 1972, midnight
S1E10 - The Camel's Treasure (Le Trésor Du Chameau)
Canada, 1725: Leon Bellerose, an informant for the governor, works with the chief engineer of the Cap Breton fortress, whose daughter is pursued by an officer, the son of a high-ranking official.
Feb. 29, 1972, midnight
S1E11 - The Acadians (Les Acadiens)
Canada, 1758. Major Evans, a British officer, is ordered to eliminate rebels evading deportation. Pierre Bellerose, with his brother and wife, seeks refuge in the woods alongside other locals.
March 7, 1972, midnight
S1E12 - The Fugitive (L’Évadé)
Canada, 1758. Amidst fifteen years of conflict between the French and Canadians, young Quebec garrison officer Julian Bellerose is betrothed to his cousin. During a country walk, she encounters and hides a wounded, fugitive English officer, unaware of the peril she courts.
March 14, 1972, midnight
S1E13 - Farewell to the Fleur-de-Lis (L’Adieu Au Lys)
England prevails in the war. Aunt Anne's death coincides with the Bellerose mansion becoming a refuge. Anne Marie returns, remorseful for her elopement, and seeks reconciliation with her former fiancé. (Final episode)
March 21, 1972, midnight
Episode Runtime: 60 min.
Season Runtime: 60 min.
Released: Dec. 27, 1971
Last Air Date: March 21, 1972, midnight
Status: Ended
Certification: NR
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