Marius et Jeannette (1997)

Director:

Robert Guédiguian

Writers:

Jean-Louis Milesi (scenario and dialogue) and
Robert Guédiguian (scenario and dialogue)

Release Date:

5 December 1997 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

Marius is the keeper of an abandonned cement works staying high above the quarter of l'Estaque in Marseilles...

Plot Keywords:

Working Class | Humanist | Unemployment | Marseilles France | Tongue In Cheek

Awards:

6 wins & 8 nominations

Cast

Ariane Ascaride	...	Jeannette
Gérard Meylan	...	Marius
Pascale Roberts	...	Caroline
Jacques Boudet	...	Justin
Frédérique Bonnal	...	Monique
Jean-Pierre Darroussin	...	Dédé
Laetitia Pesenti	...	Magali, Jeannette's Daughter
Miloud Nacer	...	Malek, Jeannette's son
Pierre Banderet	...	Monsieur Ebrard
Monique Meylan	...	Avec l'amitié de
Michèle Camizuli Bonneveau	...	Avec l'amitié de (as Michèle Camizuli)
Marc Bordure	...	Avec l'amitié de
Blanche Guichou	...	Avec l'amitié de
Jacques Menichetti	...	Avec l'amitié de
Marie Darroussin	...	Les enfants

Also Known As:

Marius and Jeannette (USA)

Runtime:

105 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Certification:

Argentina:13 | Chile:14 | Finland:S | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Portugal:M/12 | Singapore:PG | UK:15

Filming Locations:

L'Estaque, Marseille, Bouches-du-Rhône, France

Company:

Agat Films & Cie

Goofs:

Continuity: When Jeanette is at Marius's place, they remove the foil wrap from a bottle of Pastis on the outside table. Then they get inside and we see the bottle fully wrapped on the table by the window.

Quotes:

Jeannette: Old people should be shot at birth.

Movie Connections:

Followed by À la place du coeur (1998)

Soundtrack:

O' Sole mio !

One Out Of Three isn't bad

To set a film in and/or around Marseilles and name one of the two eponymous characters Marius is to invite direct comparison with the great Marcel Pagnol and his own great trilogy Marius, Fanny and Cesar (now available as a boxed set from FNAC and though expensive a 'must' for any serious film buff) and without seeing the film the feeling is that Guediguian is either throwing down the gauntlet or paying homage to Pagnol. After seeing the film it is evident that the latter obtains.This was probably the first Guediguian entry - all top-billing his wonderful wife Ariane Ascaride and all set in/around Marseilles - to reach an international audience and what a way to start. You may balk at this director's obsession with downtrodden workers and bloated capitalists but he does have the good sense and/or decency to sugar the pill with an unforgettable love story - indeed it could be subtitled ironically Love Among The Ruins as the protagonists meet in the ruins of a cement works where Marius is employed as a watchman and Jeannette attempts to steal some paint. In an attempt at symmetry there are three couples involved - with the exception of Marius they are neighbors in a shabby project and when I say that one of them is the great Jean-Pierre Darroussin hip movie-goers will need no more prompting to check this one out. Not that Marius in the shape of Gerard Meylan is any slouch if anybody asks you, in fact this trio comprised the menage a trois in Guediguian's last release (two more are in post-production as I write) Marie-Jo And Her Two Loves, and though Darroussin is very much a supporting player here he makes his presence felt. It is impossible to overpraise this movie. I caught it on its initial release and was overwhelmed, I've just purchased my own copy and if anything it is better on a second viewing and will still be giving pleasure long after this season's popcorn specials have faded from the mindless audiences memory banks. 9/10