In the second of the three episodes bringing Stendhal's vast chronicle of life in 19th-century France to the screen, young Julien Sorel has opted for the "black", the church, as a more suitable road to power than the "scarlet" of the army.
He Is now at the seminary at
Besancon, initially believing that he has been abandoned by his lover Madame de Renal, but In fact her letters have been intercepted. After a last night with her he makes his way to Paris, thanks to the efforts of the Abb6 Pirard , who has secured him a job as secretary to a Marquis. As Pirard observes: "There is little hope of advancement for men like us without the patronage of the great nobles."
Producer Rosalind Wolfes ; Director Ben Bolt