Based on the childhood memoirs of the acclaimed French director Marcel Pagnol (1895-1974), "My Father's Glory" (La Gloire de mon père) & "My Mother's Castle" (Le Château de ma mère) recount the magical holidays spent by the young Marcel (played to great affect by Julien Ciamaca), a boy from the city, in the breathtakingly beautiful hills of the Provençal countryside (now I know what inspired the 12th Century Provençal poets like Arnaut Daniel: 'I'll have my joy in garden or in chamber' ... from "Lo Ferm Voler " as translated by Ezra Pound).
Set just after at the turn of century and before World War I -- when God was still up in Heaven (though not for Marcel's atheist/rationalist teacher father) and all was well with the world -- these two films (though in effect it is essentially one film, in two parts) lovingly re-create Pagnol's innocent boyhood and family life in an 'innocent' time.
Told with genuine warmth and humour, in a charming meandering series of vignettes and epiphanies, Marcel Pagnol -- through the outstanding direction of Yves Robert -- reaches out and enfolds the viewer in a deep, welcoming armchair of a story. In fact, the films have the same capacity to produce that wistfully satisfied sigh, as did the original memoirs. You'll wish his childhood had been your own.
If you love these films, I guarantee, you will adore the book. If my house was burning down and I could only choose one book to save, I would grab Marcel Pagnol's "My Father's Glory & My Mother's Castle" in a heartbeat. As the blurb on the back of the book says: 'The Prousts and Sartres may be admired, but Pagnol is loved' (TIME LITERARY SUPPLEMENT) -- at least by me.
Mr. Pagnol -- thankyou for sharing.
Set just after at the turn of century and before World War I -- when God was still up in Heaven (though not for Marcel's atheist/rationalist teacher father) and all was well with the world -- these two films (though in effect it is essentially one film, in two parts) lovingly re-create Pagnol's innocent boyhood and family life in an 'innocent' time.
Told with genuine warmth and humour, in a charming meandering series of vignettes and epiphanies, Marcel Pagnol -- through the outstanding direction of Yves Robert -- reaches out and enfolds the viewer in a deep, welcoming armchair of a story. In fact, the films have the same capacity to produce that wistfully satisfied sigh, as did the original memoirs. You'll wish his childhood had been your own.
If you love these films, I guarantee, you will adore the book. If my house was burning down and I could only choose one book to save, I would grab Marcel Pagnol's "My Father's Glory & My Mother's Castle" in a heartbeat. As the blurb on the back of the book says: 'The Prousts and Sartres may be admired, but Pagnol is loved' (TIME LITERARY SUPPLEMENT) -- at least by me.
Mr. Pagnol -- thankyou for sharing.