I have always liked Marcel Pagnol stories. And I am a long term fan of the great Daniel Auteuil, an actor who can play drama and tragedy but who has an instinct for comedic figures.
I can't fault this movie's production values. Its setting in the warmth of Provence, superb photography bringing out the best of that regions scenery. The construct shows French culture with its tradition with humour and zest. A delight to the eyes and heartwarming to boot. I enjoyed it.
At heart its the Cinderella fairy story of the poor girl (not so poor here) gets the 'prince'.
But it's not just the fairy tale base that gives a sence of unreality, of a scenario in a vacuum. It's the early days of WW2. Our young 'prince's dashing Armée De L'air fighter pilot, returns from the (assumed) dead. All is happy again. Apart from a casual reference to France having lost the war, there is none of the sense of despair at Northern France at this stage, under Nazi occupation. No sense of tragedy. No reference to our patriotic fighter pilot about to leave to put himself again in harm's way, to fight with deGaulle and the Free French, with Britain's RAF's heroic 'backs to the wall' last ditch defence - as many French and other European pilots: Polish, Dutch, Czech, etc, did.
I can't fault this movie's production values. Its setting in the warmth of Provence, superb photography bringing out the best of that regions scenery. The construct shows French culture with its tradition with humour and zest. A delight to the eyes and heartwarming to boot. I enjoyed it.
At heart its the Cinderella fairy story of the poor girl (not so poor here) gets the 'prince'.
But it's not just the fairy tale base that gives a sence of unreality, of a scenario in a vacuum. It's the early days of WW2. Our young 'prince's dashing Armée De L'air fighter pilot, returns from the (assumed) dead. All is happy again. Apart from a casual reference to France having lost the war, there is none of the sense of despair at Northern France at this stage, under Nazi occupation. No sense of tragedy. No reference to our patriotic fighter pilot about to leave to put himself again in harm's way, to fight with deGaulle and the Free French, with Britain's RAF's heroic 'backs to the wall' last ditch defence - as many French and other European pilots: Polish, Dutch, Czech, etc, did.