Le Château de ma mère

I first saw Le Château de ma mère and La Gloire de mon père shortly after their release in 1990. At first, I gave a higher ranking to Le Château. I just saw the two movies again, and now it's La Gloire who's coming on first.

But it is not to say that Le Château is not a good movie. It's an EXCELLENT movie. The saga of Marcel continues. Young Marcel Pagnol that is. The cast is again great: Philippe Caubère and Nathalie Roussel shine, Juline Ciamaca does a great job as Marcel.

And, once again, we get a taste of life in France's countryside, its colors, its ways of doing things. Great!

Too bad, there was not a third movie to follow La Gloire and Le Château.

See this one!

Out of 100, I gave it 86. That's good for ***½ out of ****. I gave La Gloire de mon père the same star rating, but 87 out of 100.

Seen again at home, in Toronto, on August 11th, 2002.

This was the follow-up to "My Father's Glory." That film probably better known but I much prefer this second film. To me, this one is far more appealing.

The scenery, the color, the sweet, beautiful face of Nathalie Roussel and the gentle tone of the film all make it a winner. The French countryside pictured here is beautiful as we watch a family make trips through various gates en route to their destination. Some of it actually gets suspenseful. It's a very simple story but nicely. The pre-teen romance is a bit distracting but it doesn't go on long.

The movie features good storytelling and I never get tired of the pleasing visuals. As mentioned, this story has a lot of appeal.

When my cousin and I rented this film, we had no idea that it was French and in subtitles. Although I am in the process of learning the French language (slowly), I was a bit taken aback by the fact that I had to watch it in subtitles. However, after the first 10 minutes I was completely immersed in the beautiful countryside, and the flow of the language.

First of all, there is no specific plot to this story. One event flows into the next, but they are unrelated, held together by the characters. But the acting and the landscapes are beautiful and ethereal, and you wish that you could be there.

This is not to say that the film doesn't make sense, it most certainly does, and there is a point to it. The end comes on a bit abruptly, although it too is gentle and poignant.

As long as you can read fast enough to keep up with the subtitles (and after a bit you don't even notice you're doing it), this is a lovely film to see. It's quite suitable for all ages, but as it IS in subtitles, you don't want to watch it with children too young to read fast enough.

A lovely film, very French, and very beautiful. 10/10, definitely.

We watched this film in French class, and our teacher covered up the subtitles. Try it sometime. Not being able to understand all, or any, of the words makes you concentrate more on the characters. Their subtext, actions, and vocal inflections really add to the film if you just concentrate on them. The French countryside is beautiful-I wish I could be there. Oh well, I guess I'll just have to be content with this movie. The only problem I have with this film is the lack of real plot. It's basically just a chronology of events in Marcel's life. Mais, c'est la vie! Rating: Four out of Five stars

"My Father's Glory," and its sequel "My Mother's Castle," tell the story of a young boy's "wonder years" growing up in a family with an adored father, a lovely but frail mother, and assorted eccentric relatives and friends. These are incredibly charming films that feature none of the violent action and highly charged emotions that we've come to expect in popular films today. Instead, they celebrate the simple joys of life in a warm and loving family. When minor but unexpected events occasionally disrupt the day-to-day flow of events, they can seem like terrible disasters. On the other hand, a simple visit to the country can seem like a tremendous adventure. It's not necessary to have seen "My Father's Glory" to enjoy "My Mother's Castle." In fact, I happened to see them out of order and I loved them just the same. But if I had my preference, I'd watch them in order. The final scene of "My Mother's Castle" is emotionally powerful and satisfying; for me it confirmed that every minute I'd invested in these films was worthwhile. I wanted to get up there on the screen and help. In French with English subtitles.