Pierre Fresnay, Raimu, Orane Demazis in Marcel Pagnol’s MARIUS
Marcel Pagnol was one of the most celebrated French film directors of the 1930s and early 1940s. His films, set in France’s Midi ("France’s Noon," the warmer Mediterranean area) are classics of their kind. My problem with Pagnol is that if he could tell a good story in an hour and a half, he’d take three hours.
In the case of the Marseilles-set Fanny trilogy — Marius (which Pagnol co-directed with Alexander Korda, 1931), Fanny (1932), and César (1936) — Pagnol spent three films and about seven and a half hours telling a story that could easily have been condensed into, quite generously speaking, two two-hour companion pieces.
The clip below is from Marius, which stars Pierre Fresnay in the title role. Never a top international star, Fresnay was a big and respected name in French cinema. He also happened to be an infinitely better performer than most (better-known) Hollywood stars. If you doubt my word (admittedly, Marius isn’t one of his best showcases), just check out Jean Renoir’s La Grande illusion (1937), Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Le Corbeau (1943), or Maurice Cloche’s Monsieur Vincent (1947). Or read Alec Guinness‘ autobiography, My Name Escapes Me: Diary of a Retiring Actor, in which he states that Fresnay was his favorite actor.
Others in the Marius cast were Orane Demazis (as Fanny), Pagnol’s off-screen companion; the invariably grandiose Raimu (as Marius’ father, César), reportedly Marlene Dietrich’s favorite actor; and Charpin (Panisse, the older man who pines for Fanny).
Clip posted by ChevalierArverne.
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Orane Demazis was lovely. She should have made more big films on her own.