César

Having had the good fortune to live a portion of my life in Marseilles, I still get a frisson of nostalgia for the city every time I see the films in this trilogy. The way of life in Marseille has obviously modernised over the 7 decades since they were filmed, but the underlying generosity of spirit and joie de vivre is still there. Marseilles is to Provence and its bourgeois pretensions as London is to its satellite and suburbs: squalid, frenetic and crime-ridden, but nonetheless magnetic. The people of Marseilles still possess the same uniqueness of character that they did back then. A mixture of Italian, Corsican, Maghrebin and French, blended in a huge and historically important trading port. The largest Foreign Legion barracks was (and I believe, still is) in Marseille, ready to be unleashed on the subjects of the French African colonies at a moment's notice.

The port is still (albeit much less so) a smuggler's paradise, and the social life of the city is still centred around good food, good love, and strong drink. Pagnol and Raimu knew the city well, and gave it the starring role in the trilogy. Imagine their joy at being able to relocate a stage play to the Mediterranean coast and use genuine atmospheric exteriors of the old port in all its pre-war glory. The city, and particularly the docks, took a real beating from both sides in WW2, so Pagnol not only created a few masterpieces of cinema, but also an invaluable document of a lost architecture and layout.

The nonsense between L'Academie and Pagnol was related to the prevailing Parisian view of southerners as being crude, unsophisticated people who lived a simple life of manual labour, procreation, drinking and eating (cul terreux). The view from the south that still prevails, is one of a Paris riddled with snobbish elites (peigne cul) totally divorced from the realities of healthy living . The wonderful climate and diet of the Mediterranean coast has long been a source of envy for those condemned by fate to dwell in the damp root vegetable fogs of northern France. Pagnol was gleefully rubbing their noses in it.

Pagnol opened up a lot of avenues in film, but the people of Marseilles remember him mostly for his authentic capturing of la vie quotidienne. I'll drink to that.

Criterion / Janus Films

Marius (1931) + Fanny (1932) + César (1936)

"César" (1936): The Grand Finale of the Marseille Trilogy

Written and directed by Marcel Pagnol, "César" is the final film in the renowned Marseille Trilogy, holding a significant place in the golden age of French cinema. The fact that I'm only discovering these films now is a point of self-criticism. It's a serious oversight, especially for someone like me who prides themselves on their love for François Truffaut, to be unaware of Pagnol's trilogy. But perhaps this is a common thread among today's cinephiles-getting lost in the vast sea of information.

Within the context of the trilogy, "César" brings the story that began with "Marius" (1931) and "Fanny" (1932) to an emotional and philosophical climax. The film delves into the years following the events of the previous two films, examining the long-term consequences and impacts of the characters' decisions. From the perspective of both contemporary and period cinema, this makes "César" a significant work of French realism. Pagnol's mastery of dialogue, stemming from his theatrical background, is on full display in this film.

"César" weaves together all the themes and characters of the trilogy, crafting a magnificent conclusion to the story. Raimu's performance as César is not for nothing considered one of the most impressive acting examples in cinema history. The depth, complexity, and human aspects of César's character are brought to life perfectly through Raimu's extraordinary talent. The film goes beyond being just a family drama, touching upon philosophical themes such as the transience of life, the power of forgiveness, and intergenerational relationships. At times, I felt like I was reading Victor Hugo, not watching a film.

I would love to explore this trilogy from a filmmaker's perspective.

Yes, this trilogy isn't made up of films you'll watch frequently, but they are magnificent films to watch occasionally and cleanse your soul.

We owe thanks to Janus Films and Criterion for ensuring that films like these don't fade into obscurity.

All the three films in Marcel Pagnol's Marseille trilogy ('Marius', 'Fanny' and 'Cesar') are well worth watching, personally would go as far as calling them must sees. All three are wonderful in their own way, though all the great things about the trilogy and what makes it special are present in each film. To me, they are important films in regard to French cinema and early talkie film-making and are a few of the finest examples of somebody with theatrical origins moving into film and became important.

'Cesar', the only one of the Marseille trilogy to not be directly based on the play, is the third and final film in the trilogy and a great way to end it. It is not quite as good as my personal favourite 'Marius', but is on the same level as 'Fanny' for generally the same reasons. Despite having occasional story problems, 'Cesar' (named after one of my favourite characters of the trilogy) is the most human, most understated and most moving of the three perhaps and benefits greatly from having Pagnol in the director's chair again and the original cast returning yet again.

It though does have the slightest story of the three films in the trilogy and the only one to feel slightly contrived on occasions. That is my only complaint though.

Like 'Marius' and 'Fanny', 'Cesar' looks lovely and surprisingly evocative. In fact all the great things of those two films are here, for the same and different reasons. Scotto returns as composer and his score is equally as whimsical and charming. Did appreciate that 'Cesar' did have a much better beginning than that of 'Fanny' and that it got to the point much quicker.

There is some nice wit in the writing, the dialogue can be described in the same way as the dialogue in the previous two films. It succeeds in the humorous elements and even more so the emotional moments, balancing both well while having more of the latter. Did love how understated and compassionate the story was.

Which added to the poignancy and humanity of one of the most easy to root for love stories in early talkies. The characters are still compellingly real and their situations are still relatable and relevant now, did find that what happens resonated with me. Pagnol's direction is never too static or theatrical, he stays true to his roots while opening up the drama enough so it does feel cinematic.

Fanny is slightly underdeveloped again, but again that is namely down to the deeper characterisations of the other characters. Especially Cesar. The acting is great again, especially Raimu giving perhaps his best performance of the trilogy and he was astounding in 'Marius' and 'Fanny' as well.

Concluding, great and a more than worthy end to a wonderful trilogy of films. 9/10

César (1936) : Brief Review -

A sweet and fulfilling end to The First Ever and One of the Finest Trilogy of world Cinema. Cesar came after a gap of 4 years since Fanny and this was the only film in the Marseille Trilogy that was directed by writer Marcel Pagnol himself and wasn't adapted like earlier two films. One interesting thing i noticed about these 3 films is, these films are named after 3 characters but in the films the main focus is on other character. To elaborate a little, Marius (1931) was named after Marius but the film was more about Fanny's sacrifice. Next it was Fanny (1932) named after Fanny, but it was more about Cesar and Panisse and then came this film named after Cesar but it was more about Marius and his redemption. Cesar is about Fanny and Marius's son Césario who realises about his real father after the death of Panisse. The film is little longer unnecessarily where the first half doesn't really warm any things up. Then, the second half is all about emotional mess which makes couple of intelligent speeches on the family affairs. Like they said in the film, "Family Scene", actually the film ranks up there only. The character of Marius finally gets justice even though he doesn't clear the earlier mistake but the way he puts himself as a victim is nothing short of unexpected intellectual writing. Yes, the film could have been much better with sort of painful ending just like Marius had and that's why it became a Cult Classic, however, Cesar is a sweet send off to the trilogy with the mainstream idea of fulfilling the positive mindset of audience. Performance wise, Raimu outshines everyone despite less screen space, rest are fine. Pagnol's writing and direction both had minor faults but overall it was very good. In short, Cesar wraps up the trilogy nicely but with little more finesse it could have been a Classic.

RATING - 7/10*

By - #samthebestest

The above mentioned movie is the final part of a 3 part series of which Maurius and Fanny were the predecessors. Out of the 3, I like this one the best. One, the very good actor, Raimu gets to step out of the background and take the lead. Two, it wraps up all the pieces that have been set up in the previous movies, as the major theme of life goes on, and destiny must not be avoided, despite of silly human follies of pride, societal scorn and by-law morals. A charming family movie, all at once, an unsentimental love story sporadically. Raimu delivers monologues here that define the character and the nature of the others. Also, I must the add, the son of Fanny and Maurius is very well played. Pagnol must be applauded for bringing his hit play to the screen. A musical movie was made in the sixties starring Leslie Caron which put all three plays into one movie titled Fanny. I remember as being sporadically entertaining with its deep sets and lush technicolor. But this is the one to watch. Pagnol use of outdoor sets is invigorating for early sound cinema and his camera is an unobtrusive detailer and watcher. A fine movie forgotten but worth remembering.