They inevitably had butterflies in their stomachs when they saw the handsome Drazic and his arched piercing on the screen or the graceful Anita with her diaphanous gaze.
For the former teens of the 1990s, “Hartley, hearts alive” is above all this mythical couple.
However, the Australian series, broadcast on France 2 between 1995 and 1999, is much richer and more complex than the simple romance of its two lovebirds.
The MyTF1 site has just put the 210 episodes distributed over seven seasons online for free.
The opportunity to rediscover this program which marked a generation.
We explain to you why its diffusion had blown a wind of novelty on the small screen.
A grunge and exotic universe…
We are here at Hartley High, a high school in the working-class neighborhoods, in the suburbs of Sydney.
It screams, it argues.
The fights break out for an inappropriate remark, the pupils are rebels, big mouths, wound up like pendulums.
Grunge fashion, wide ripped jeans, dyed hair, and we listen to Silverchair or INXS.
Piercings and tattoos are legion.
Some students arrive at school by car, preferably convertible.
Here, even the girls play soccer.
And seeing these high school students spinning to the beach surfing after class or zigzagging on rollerblades on the seafront adds to the exotic touch.
A universe that contrasts with the polished style of French series for teens of the time, such as the cutesy “Hélène et les Garcons”, whose characters never go further than the cafeteria.
… But very realistic.
Here, we really have the feeling of living high school life.
On the student side or on the teacher side, everything is very realistic.
This was also the concern of the creators of the series, who chose a real abandoned school as a backdrop.
To stick even more to reality, the film crew decided to shoot from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., as in a traditional school establishment.
Most of the actors, who are beginners, have learned their trade on the job.
This gives, especially in the first seasons, a feeling of rare authenticity.
Anita and Drazic / Prod.
Diversity.
The characters are a reflection of Australian society, coming from multiple communities.
Costa and Nick are of Greek descent.
Cristina, the teacher, is Italian.
Rose is Lebanese, Chaka South American… At a time when France is (already) struggling to show its diversity on the screen, this colorful band of young Australians is doing good.
And is much more faithful to reality.
We are far from "Beverly Hills" and its American characters from the beautiful neighborhoods, all white.
Or the very uniform teenagers of the French people from “Premiers Baisers”.
Themes rarely discussed at the time.
In "Hartley", we discuss real social issues, such as racism and politics.
Some young people work to continue studying, others have complicated family environments.
Real life, what.
Chaka's father, for example, was kidnapped in his home country, El Salvador, for opposing the regime.
A student becomes pregnant and decides to keep the child.
It contrasts sharply with the endless heart problems of Johanna and Cri Cri d'amore, "Hélène and the boys".
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But a dubbing to review.
Are you not convinced that it is better to watch a program in its original language?
Watch “Hartley” on MyTF1!
The series is available there only in the language of Molière.
And that's a shame.
The dialogues lose their effectiveness because the translation struggles to convince.
The expressions become as old as possible.
It starts with a "hello, how about?
», Completely old-fashioned.
Or Nick, the handsome rebel from the first seasons, who asks his cousin "Do I have the look?"
Or slips a "He's crazy to bind".
A shift that makes you smile ... and takes away the charm of the series.
