Yves Robert’s My Father’s Glory is an adaptation of Marcel Pagnol’s novel, which has the same title. The biography film is in the sequel that includes another film, “My Mother’s Castle,” also authored by Marcel. Both films are memoirs of Marcel’s childhood. My Father’s Glory tells the story of a little boy, Marcel, born in a village in southern France and raised in Marseilles, who looks up to his father. The film’s setting is before the First World War. It’s packed with moments of warmth and charm.
Marcel’s father, Joseph, an atheist, is a school teacher in Marseilles. His mother, Augustine, is a homemaker, while his aunt, Rose, is a housekeeper. There’s also Jules, Rose’s husband and a Roman Catholic, arguing about religion with his brother-in-law. Joseph wears glasses and a dark suit every day. He’s a city man trying to make ends meet and his son’s hero. Marcel narrates the movie as an adult, telling a story of himself with his father when he was around 11. Both parents are loving with the young Marcel, and both play significant roles in his upbringing.
The film takes us on a journey to the hills of Provence, in the south of France, made possible by Jules, where the family spends their summer vacation. The hills are the epitome of the film. Here, his father and uncle challenge each other, and Marcel takes his father's side. Marcel admires the trees and grasses, the birds, and the pathways. To help him explore the countryside, he teams up with Lili, a boy his age living in Provence.
Lili makes a living from setting traps for birds, a skill he teaches Marcel. Hobbies keep people active and happy. Women, including Augustine, are perpetually busy preparing food for their families, while men play games like lawn bowls and hunt for pleasure. However, Marcel has fallen in love with nature, and just as his family is about to park and return to Marseilles, he writes a letter to his parents asking them not to bother searching for him and runs away.
Instead of living in Lili’s house, they walk into a cave. However, Marcel is afraid of living alone. He changes his mind and returns to his family. He finds the letter under his pillow and assumes it was not read. His parents make remarks that they read the letter. The movie ends with the family leaving in a coach as Lili looks on.
The movie is nostalgic. The narrator reminds us about the love of nature. It also reminds us of our childhood, of friends we had to leave behind to be with our families. The film also demonstrates our admiration for our parents and the partings with the things we love. My Father’s Glory is a film memoir that is as breathtaking as the hills where it was set and an incredible French story.