Film Details

French actor/director Daniel Auteuil (Jean de Florette) follows up his crowd-pleasing 2011 film The Well-Digger’s Daughter with another remake of a play (and film) by the great French writer Marcel Pagnol (1895-1974). This time Auteuil turns to Pagnol’s celebrated Marseille Trilogy (Marius, Fanny, César), one of the great achievements of 1930s French cinema. Marius, the first part (part two shows next week), introduces us to the trilogy's four main characters. César (Auteuil) is the colorful, comic owner of a waterfront saloon. Marius, his grown son, works at his dad’s bar but dreams of becoming a sailor. Fanny is a local seafood seller whom Marius has long loved silently. And Panisse is a wealthy factory owner, more than twice Marius’ age, who also loves Fanny but is more open and pro-active about it. What happens to these four is both entertaining and enthralling. “Utterly delightful...A reminder once more of why we love French films.” –Film Journal Int’l.