César (1936)

Honoré Panisse is dying, cheerfully, with friends, wife, and son at his side. He confesses to the priest in front of his friends; he insists that the doctor be truthful. But, he cannot ... See full summary »

Director:

Marcel Pagnol

Writer:

Marcel Pagnol

Stars:

Raimu, Pierre Fresnay, Orane Demazis

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Raimu	...	César Ollivier
Pierre Fresnay	...	Marius Ollivier
Fernand Charpin	...	Honoré Panisse (as Charpin)
Orane Demazis	...	Fanny
Paul Dullac	...	Félix Escartefigue
Robert Vattier	...	Aldebert Brun
Marcel Maupi	...	Innocent Mangiapan (as Maupi)
Édouard Delmont	...	Le docteur Felicien Venelle (as Delmont)
Milly Mathis	...	Tante Claudine Foulon
Thommeray	...	Elzéar Bonnegrâce - le curé de Saint Victor
Jean Castan	...	L'enfant de choeur
Robert Bassac	...	Pierre Dromard
Alida Rouffe	...	Honorine Cabanis
Rellys	...	L'employé de Panisse
Charblay	...	Henri - le patron du bar de Toulon

Storyline

Honoré Panisse is dying, cheerfully, with friends, wife, and son at his side. He confesses to the priest in front of his friends; he insists that the doctor be truthful. But, he cannot bring himself to tell his son Cesariot that his real father is Marius, the absent son of César, Cesariot's godfather. Panisse leaves that to Fanny, the lad's mother. Dissembling that he's off to see a friend, Cesariot then seeks Marius, now a mechanic in Toulon. Posing as a journalist, Cesariot spends time with Marius and leaves believing tales he is a petty thief. Only after the truth comes out can Marius, Fanny, César, and Cesariot step beyond the falsehoods, benign though they may be.

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Plot Keywords:

france | marseille france | group of friends | marseille | marseille provence | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Odette Roger is credited in the opening credits as "la bonne de l'hotel" (the hotel maid) but does not appear in the film. The hotel sequence was cut out of the final print.

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Quotes

Honoré Panisse: One can't live without doing wrong.

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Connections

Follows Fanny (1932)

User Reviews

César (1936)

I appreciated writers reign's comments which I fully agree with. I would just like to say that I have in hand Pagnols' memoirs entitled "Confidences" published in 1981,i.e.7 years after his death.Pagnol states that he got along very well with Korda when "Marius" was shot for Paramount.Korda told Pagnol:"It's my first talking picture.I know what you don't and you know what I ignore.We should do a good job together". Actually,according to Pagnol,it's Korda himself who answered a complaining sound recording engineer:"Mr Raimu cannot be replaced.You can".Raimu bought the man a drink and they became good friends. I hope I did not hurt your excellent correspondent's feelings.I am just luckier to have Pagnol's memoirs at home.Thank you for your attention.

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

27 October 1948 (USA)

Also Known As:

Cezar

Filming Locations:

Les Lecques, Gard, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$7,720, 8 January 2017

Gross USA:

$8,262

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$8,262

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films Marcel Pagnol

Technical Specs

Runtime:

168 min 138 min (TV)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1