César
Directed by Marcel Pagnol • 1936 • France
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 trilo'gy 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.
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César
Directed by Marcel Pagnol • 1936 • France
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 trilo'gy continues wi...
Extras
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Orane Demazis on THE MARSEILLE TRILOGY
In the following footage, recorded for French television on March 30, 1967, actor Orane Demazis discusses her experiences playing Fanny in Marcel Pagnol’s MARSEILLE TRILOGY and pays tribute to her costar Raimu.
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“Cinépanorama”: Pierre Fresnay
On September 25, 1956, actor Pierre Fresnay appeared on television for the first time (on the French program “Cinépanorama”) to commemorate the tenth anniversary of his MARSEILLE TRILOGY costar Raimu’s death and to discuss their collaboration.
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Robert Vattier on THE MARSEILLE TRILOGY
The following short profile of Robert Battier, titled UN BRUN DE VATTIER, follows the actor around Provence and aired on French television on April 20, 1976. Vattier, who played M. Brun in the MARSEILLE TRILOGY films, discusses his long friendship with writer-director Marcel Pagnol and the impact...
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Restoration of THE MARSEILLE TRILOGY
The following is an excerpt from a 2015 French television program about the restoration of THE MARSEILLE TRILOGY.
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Marseille
Directed by Jean Margueritte and Jean Monti • 1935 • France
This short documentary about the Marseille harbor was produced by filmmaker Marcel Pagnol in 1935, possibly to accompany the release of CÉSAR. An example of the prewar French genre known as “documentaire romance,” the film features seve...
