Cesar; Fanny; Marius

Playwright, novelist, screenwriter, producer, and director Marcel Pagnol's films are enjoying a comeback on the heels of the international triumphs of Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring (based on a novel by Pagnol). The so-called "Fanny" trilogy, Pagnol's nearly seven hour epic of waterfront life in Marseilles is long overdue for re-recognition. A simple tale, Pagnol's story is about a young man who lusts for the sea (Marius), the woman who loves him (Fanny), and his lovable bear of a father (Cesar). The plot has Fanny becoming pregnant on the eve of Marius' departure on a ship, an elderly shopkeeper (Panisse) wedding her to save her honor, and the complications which arise when Marius prematurely returns. What makes this trio of films so special is character--the smitten Marius (whose mistress is the sea); the feisty Fanny, who suffers immeasurably before she is rewarded with happiness; and the crochety, but fiercely loving Cesar (an amazing comic performance by Raimu), who elicits the audience's undying devotion whether he's lying, cheating at cards, or scheming with Fanny's mother to get the two lovebirds together. For Cesar, there are no obstacles in life--you simply spit in your palms, and bluster your way through. The story falters a bit in the final act, when Pagnol succumbs to verbosity over character, and Cesar is shorn of some of his comic brilliance--but, overall, the trilogy is a masterpiece of early cinema. Unfortunately, as is often the case, the subtitling is difficult to read--and sometimes impossible. (When will people in the video business ever learn that foreign films will never catch on with the general public until the industry takes it upon itself to adequately subtitle films? It only takes once or twice for the consumer to get burned when checking out a poorly subtitled film for him/her to swear off foreign films for life.) Since the Pagnol trilogy is a work of genius, dedicated film buffs will fight their way through the shortcomings in order to see it. Recommended for libraries with large foreign film collections.