#884: PAGNOL, Marcel: César (1936)

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PAGNOL, Marcel (France)
César [1936]
Spine #884
Blu-ray


In the final chapter of The Marseille Trilogy, Marcel Pagnol returns his compassionate gaze to his weathered characters as they discover the possibility of reconciliation and the durability of love. Leaping forward twenty years, the trilogy continues with the death of Fanny's husband, Panisse, and the discovery of her secret by her son, Césariot. The young man resolves to track down his biological father, Marius, whose life has been fraught with calamity and poverty. The only film in the trilogy written expressly for the screen and directed by Pagnol, César resolves the protagonists' star-crossed destinies with the garrulous wit and understated naturalism that have made this epic love story a landmark of humanist filmmaking.

141 minutes
Black & White
Monaural
in French
1:37:1 aspect ratio
Criterion Release 2017
Director/Writer


Marcel Pagnol was 41 when he wrote and directed César.

Other Pagnol films in the Collection:

#986: The Baker's Wife (1938)

The Film

A

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

 The Booklet

Sixty-page booklet featuring an essay by film critic Michael Atkinson and excerpts from Pagnol’s introductions to his plays and screenplays.

Commentary

None.

Marseille

A short 1935 documentary about the Marseille harbor produced by writer-director Pagnol.

Archival interviews

With actors Demazis, Fresnay, and Vattier.

French television clip

From 2015 about the restoration of The Marseille Trilogy.

Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

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