Letters from My Windmill (1954) Les lettres de mon moulin (original title)

Director:

Marcel Pagnol

Writers:

Alphonse Daudet (stories)
Marcel Pagnol

Release Date:

5 November 1954 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama

Cast

Antonin Fabre	...	Maître Arnoton
Rellys	...	Le père Gaucher (segment "Elixir du père Gaucher, L'")
Fernand Sardou	...	M. Charnigue (segment "Elixir du père Gaucher, l'")
Robert Vattier	...	Le père Abbé (segment "Elixir du père Gaucher, L'")
Pierrette Bruno	...	Vivette (segment "Secret de Maître Cornille, Le")
Roger Crouzet	...	Alphonse Daudet (segment "Prologue")
Serge Davin	...	Roumanille
Christian Lude	...	Le père Sylvestre (segment "Elixir du père Gaucher, l'")
Henri Arius	...	M. Decanis (segment "Secret de Maître Cornille, le") (as Arius)
Guy Alland	...	Frère Ulysse (segment "Elixir du père Gaucher, l'")
Jean-Marie Bon	...	Le père Virgile
Bréols	...	Le maire (segment "Secret de Maître Cornille, le")
Cambis	...	M. Seguin
Luce Dassas	...	Sylvie
Michel Galabru	...	Anselme (as Michel Falabru de la Comédie Française)
Jean Mello	...	Nicolas
Joseph Riozet	...	Père Hyacinthe (segment "Elixir du père Gaucher, l'")
Jean Toscan	...	Père Virgil (segment "Elixir du père Gaucher, L'") (as Jean Toscane)
Andrée Turcy	...	Marinette (segment "Secret de Maître Cornille, Le")
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
René Bervil
Breals	...	Le Maire (segment "Secret de Maître Cornille, le")
Louis Combaluzier
Henri Crémieux	...	Me Honarat Grapazzi (segment "Prologue")
Jean Daniel
Daxely	...	Le diable (segment "Trois messes basses, les")
Édouard Delmont	...	Maître Cornille (segment "Secret de Maître Cornille, Le")
Jean Farina
Yvonne Gamy	...	La vieille (segment "Secret de Maître Cornille, Le")
Keller	...	Le marquis (segment "Elixir du père Gaucher, L'")
Clara Michel	...	La comtesse
Viviane Méry	...	La marquise
René Sarvil	...	Le chef (segment "Trois messes basses, les")
Henri Vilbert	...	Dom Balaguère (segment "Trois messes basses, Les")

Directed by
Marcel Pagnol

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Alphonse Daudet		stories Les trois messes basses, L'elixir du père Gaucher, Le secret de Maître Cornille
Marcel Pagnol

Produced by
Marcel Pagnol	....	producer

Original Music by
Henri Tomasi

Cinematography by
Willy Faktorovitch		(as Willy)

Film Editing by
Monique Lacombe

Production Design by
Robert Giordani
Jean Mandaroux

Costume Design by
Lucien Poly

Makeup Department
Paul Ralph	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Louis Manella	....	unit production manager
Antoine Rossi	....	production manager

Sound Department
Marcel Royné	....	sound

Camera and Electrical Department
Albert Susterre	....	still photographer

Other crew
Regine Hernou	....	script girl

Production Companies

• Eminente Films

Distributors

• Gaumont Distribution (1954) (France) (theatrical)
• Mercury Films (1954) (Belgium) (theatrical)
• Tohan Pictures Company (1955) (USA) (subtitled)

Also Known As:

"Les lettres de mon moulin" - France (original title)

Runtime:

160 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Company:

Eminente Films

The windmills of Daudet's mind

It was to be Marcel Pagnol's last film ;like Mankiewicz,he did not make any movies (apart from a short) in the last twenty years of his life ;probably busy writing his memoirs ("le Château De Ma Mère,La Gloire de Mon Père " which were successfully tranfered to the screen by Yves Robert in the late eighties.

Alphonse Daudet's short stories were tailor made for a Provençal director such as Pagnol;if you go to Provence,you can visit the windmill where Daudet was supposed to write his "letters" ;actually he never lived in this place,but in the castle of some of his friends near the legendary mill.But it's true that most of the stories which were included in "LETTRES DE MON MOULIN" are true stories:Daudet was told about Maitre Cornille ,MR Seguin's goat and others by peasants and shepherds he used to meet when he walked across the hills.

Pagnol selected three short stories:

segment 1 "L'ELixir du Reverend Père Gaucher" :this delicious elixir (liquor)is still selling in Provence today!Father Gaucher inherits a lot of stuff from his auntie;particularly interesting is the receipt of a liquor.A dealer (FErnand Sardou) is very interested and the fact that it is made by monks gives a " serious" guarantee to the product.As the father gets drunk every time he makes his liquor,his mates the monks invent a new absolution:the absolution while the sinner is sinning!

Segment 2: "LE SECRET DE MAITRE CORNILLE".The novel underwent some changes:the writer Daudet appears in the flesh ;it's him who reveals the secret:the windmill is running but there's no wheat in it,it runs light.

The philosophy was ahead of its time: clean energy please!

Segment 3:"LES TROIS MESSES BASSES " The devil takes the shape of Garrigou,the sacristan and begins to lead a priest into temptation:it's Christmas night,but before the Reveillon (midnight meal),the religious man has got to celebrate three masses;the devil talks and talks and talks of the turkeys,trouts and truffles,they will have after the services ;so the priest entirely botches the last mass, skipping the Pater and the Credo.God is not prepared to accept it.

It was the time when Pagnol's style had begun to be a bit obsolete;but you can watch these three shorts with pleasure.