Toni (1935)

Director:

Jean Renoir

Writers:

Jean Renoir (screenplay) &
Jacques Levert (story)

Release Date:

4 November 1936 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

In the 1920s, the Provence is a magnet for immigrants seeking work in the quarries or in the agriculture...

Cast

Charles Blavette	...	Antonio Canova dit 'Toni'
Celia Montalván	...	Josefa (as Celia Montalvan)
Édouard Delmont	...	Fernand (as Delmont)
Max Dalban	...	Albert (as Dalban)
Jenny Hélia	...	Marie (as Jenny Helia)
Michel Kovachevitch	...	Sebastian (as M. Kovachevicht)
Andrex	...	Gabi

Country:

France

Language:

French | Italian | Spanish

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (RCA Sound System)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG (re-rating) (2006) | Finland:K-16 (1965)

Company:

Les Films Marcel Pagnol

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Lotte Reiniger: Homage to the Inventor of the Silhouette Film (1999) (V)

Quel Jumelle elles ont le Toni

There is more than a touch of the Pagnols here, both geographically and literally, indeed the print I saw even credited Pagnol as 1) a producer or (and more probably) 2, the use of his studio space. For reasons best known to himself Renoir chose to set a triangular love story in Pagnol turf, le midi and though the result is creditable it is difficult if not impossible to view a movie like this in the 21st century, with our knowledge that by the time it was shot Pagnol had seen his own trilogy on similar themes produced on both stage and screen. Nevertheless and despite ageing prints this remains well worth seeing and obligatory for the Renoir scholar. 6/10