Marcel Pagnol's Marseille Trilogy, based upon his own play from 1929, was one of the earliest film trilogies. 'Marius' being made when he was moving away from his theatrical origins and broadened his horizons as a film-maker, and as a result a ground-breaking (in French cinema and film in general) trilogy of films that are still equally very good to wonderful films in their own right was made and Pagnol became a pioneer in sound film. Made up of 1931's 'Marius', 1932's 'Fanny' and 1936's 'Cesar', named after the trilogy's three main characters.
Written and produced by Pagnol himself, directed by another influential film-maker Alexander Korda and starring Raimu, Pierre Fresnay, Orane Damazis and Fernand Charpin, 'Marius' is the first of the three. And what a wonderful way to start this wonderful trilogy. So natural and realistic and never feeling static or stagy, as well as funny, emotional and relatable. With rich characterisations, an epic and emotionally story of love, a perfect depiction of the setting and more than great acting and writing, all of which carrying over to 'Fanny' and 'Cesar'.
Everything works, and brilliantly so. So much so that it was very easy to ignore any plot conveiences when one was having too much fun and emotion to care as well as too caught up in what was happening. There is nothing stage-bound looking about the production values, amazing considering some involved had a theatrical background beforehand. The locations are beautiful to look at and very naturalistic, the never confined but never overblown photography opening up what could easily have been too much of a filmed play equally beautifully.
Francis Gromon's score matches the naturalism, whimsy and emotion of 'Marius' to perfection. 'Marius' is always affectionately directed by Korda, not allowing the acting to go too over the top and capturing the feel and atmosphere of the setting authentically. Pagnol's dialogue doesn't feel talk-heavy, amazing for a film based on source material written for the stage. It is combines genuinely funny and poignant emotion cleverly with no jarring shifts in tone.
The story never felt creaky to me. It also had a real humanity to it, the struggles, ambitions and achivements of the characters being so rootable and true to life. Really liked the lyrical tone, never found it too static and it sets up the characters and what was to come in 'Fanny' and 'Cesar' beautifully. There is a great mix of funny moments, like Marius being taught how to make a mandarin-citron and cheating at cards has seldom been funnier, and emotional ones, such as the tear-jerker of an ending.
Conflict has real tension. Loved 'Marius' rich depth of characterisation, not always seen in film those days, where all the characters were so much more than just stereotypes. They feel like real people and easy to care for in very human situations still relevant today.
Acting is pretty exquisite and didn't feel over the top or too theatrical. The best performances coming from gruff yet charming Raimu and affecting Demazis.
Overall, wonderful. 10/10
Written and produced by Pagnol himself, directed by another influential film-maker Alexander Korda and starring Raimu, Pierre Fresnay, Orane Damazis and Fernand Charpin, 'Marius' is the first of the three. And what a wonderful way to start this wonderful trilogy. So natural and realistic and never feeling static or stagy, as well as funny, emotional and relatable. With rich characterisations, an epic and emotionally story of love, a perfect depiction of the setting and more than great acting and writing, all of which carrying over to 'Fanny' and 'Cesar'.
Everything works, and brilliantly so. So much so that it was very easy to ignore any plot conveiences when one was having too much fun and emotion to care as well as too caught up in what was happening. There is nothing stage-bound looking about the production values, amazing considering some involved had a theatrical background beforehand. The locations are beautiful to look at and very naturalistic, the never confined but never overblown photography opening up what could easily have been too much of a filmed play equally beautifully.
Francis Gromon's score matches the naturalism, whimsy and emotion of 'Marius' to perfection. 'Marius' is always affectionately directed by Korda, not allowing the acting to go too over the top and capturing the feel and atmosphere of the setting authentically. Pagnol's dialogue doesn't feel talk-heavy, amazing for a film based on source material written for the stage. It is combines genuinely funny and poignant emotion cleverly with no jarring shifts in tone.
The story never felt creaky to me. It also had a real humanity to it, the struggles, ambitions and achivements of the characters being so rootable and true to life. Really liked the lyrical tone, never found it too static and it sets up the characters and what was to come in 'Fanny' and 'Cesar' beautifully. There is a great mix of funny moments, like Marius being taught how to make a mandarin-citron and cheating at cards has seldom been funnier, and emotional ones, such as the tear-jerker of an ending.
Conflict has real tension. Loved 'Marius' rich depth of characterisation, not always seen in film those days, where all the characters were so much more than just stereotypes. They feel like real people and easy to care for in very human situations still relevant today.
Acting is pretty exquisite and didn't feel over the top or too theatrical. The best performances coming from gruff yet charming Raimu and affecting Demazis.
Overall, wonderful. 10/10