Cigalon

One of the shortest Pagnol films (which generally have a running time of 2hours+),it does not possess the appeal of "Merlusse" ,another short workits follow-up ;but whereas the latter verges on drama ,"Cigalon "is a pure farce and thus does not deserve to be drastically dismissed.

Hindsight displays its charm ; of course Raimu would have been a better lead,but the play on which the film is based is pleasant. It features some good moments:in Cigalon 's special gourmet restaurant ,the customers are invited to enjoy the view outside ,to smell the dish , but afterward ,they are subject to some kind of torment of Tantalus : to watch the cook and this wife enjoy the delicious "tripes à la provençale"; the shady count with no penny to his name who is treated to the delights of a whole meal to thwart the female neighbor's unfair competition: she has opened a new restaurant (an eating-house ,says her contender) where you eat! The placidity of the gendarmes and how Cigalon fools the whole village .

Okay ,it's not Pagnol's best or among his best ,but the Provençal spirit is still intact and anyway It's better than latter efforts such as "la belle meunière" .

*minor spoiler ahead*

The main idea is quiet good, but unfortunately Arnaudy is not Raimu (nor Fernandel).

He lacks the charisma of those two.

The dialogs are not bad, but I guess this movie would have been much better with one of the above mentioned actors, as the cook.

I think, with his "truculence" (~vividness/colourfulness), Raimu would have eventually match with this cook,

who runs a restaurant in which you can only smell the meals,

but not taste nor eat them...

So, in one sentence : could have been much more funny !