Directed by Yves Robert in 1990 and adapted from Marcel Pagnol's classic autobiography, "My Father's Glory" is a tale told from the perspective of an old man who looks at his childhood like we would probably do as we grow older, tender nostalgia and profound affection. We all carry a strong emotional connection to our childhood and like a good French wine, it only gets better as we get old.
Yet instead of approaching it with a sort of introspective mindset, Marcel starts relating to us a series of disjointed episodes and adventures of his life, inviting us to connect them to our own childhood memories. In a way, "My Father's Glory" resembles such endearing classics like Federico Fellini's "Amarcord" and Woody Allen's "Radio Days", two movies I adored. And like these two films, there is no specific plot, no antagonists, and no unsettling or dangerous moments whatsoever. The film is as light as sweet as childhood memories can get. I expect some objecting voices stating that many people have darker visions of their childhood, but again, the film is narrated by a mature voice, suggesting that it's an old person speaking... and as time goes by, out instinct commands us to filter the best from our past.
And what are left are our primal relationships with our family in general, and parents in particular and the sights, the scents, the noises, the sensual experiences that carried our first memories, and this is "My Father's Glory', a series of memories that can all speak to us, and awake the Proust Madeleine's we restrained for so long. The richness of "My Father's Glory", the first opus before the sequel "My Mother's Castle", is to focus on the perceptions as well as the interactions, and how finally, they affect each other. Two persons count in Marcel's life; his mother, Augustine, which is a sweet and innocent creature, a woman with such a beauty we wonder if this is not a case of deification of the lost mother. And the father, Jospeh, the rational school-teacher, openly atheist, who believes in education, sciences and progress, rather than any other sort of hazardous thoughts, spiritualism or worse: religion.
The father's personality finds a perfect contrast with Uncle Jules, the new husband of Augustine's sister, Aunt Rose. Played by Didier Pain, he's a big, round and jovial man, profoundly Catholic, which makes his interactions and conflicts with the father more delightful as both form a joyous pair of Laurel and Hardy mirroring the opposition between an old and new order that were still cohabiting in France at the Eve of World War I. During the film, we do by the way feel the specter of war, but it only translates Marcel's childhood into an oasis of peace and harmony, which is how we perceive our own childhood at the end. And if "My Father's Glory" doesn't intend to thrill us with plot twists or dangers, it's to better guide us through the slow and peaceful passing of time, and allowing the sensation of nothingness to be filled by the little episodes that enrich it, and the colorful gallery of characters who populate it.
Mainly set during the summer break in the country near Marseilles, the film is about Marcel discovering his father in a total new setting, among foreigners, where his personality, his knowledge and talents would be challenged by other people. Marcel's reactions reflect both his prides and fears, the pride that his father is a man of a commanding presence and knows everything and the subsequent fear to see him humiliated by Uncle Jules who seems to know more about partridges and hunting. The vision of Marcel toward his father is the core of the story and it's powerfully conveyed by the cheerful poster, where Marcel looks at his smiling father with proud eyes. Ironically, the father's smile is almost childish, so unlike the carapace he wears in his everyday life, or with his pupils, and that's because something changed in both the father and the son, and all it took was an unforgettable hunting trip and the conclusion that gives all its meaning to its title. "My Father's Glory" is one of the best reflections of the relationship between a son and his father. It's not in believing that our father is a sort of superhuman, but discover his normality and still be proud of him, that's Marcel coming to knowledge.
The film's main subplot is the growing friendship between Marcel and a boy from the countryside named Lili, they meet during the hunting trip, and grow rapidly fond of each other. Marcel likes Lili for his nature-smart while Lili is fascinated by the kid-from-the-city. Deprived from any cynicism or conflict, the genuine friendship is our compass to discover the country, the landscapes, the beautiful symbiosis between nature and elements. "My Father's Glory' provides cinematic escapism at best, with a succession of panoramic shots that work as the perfect homage to Marcel Pagnol's origins, the South of France, probably one of the most gifted places in the world, challenging our senses, we could smell lavender and rosemary or touch the leaves in the tree just as we could clearly hear the never-ending sound of the grasshoppers, and it's one sweet irony that Marcel's name is almost pronounced like Marseilles. And the friendship with Lili is an opportunity for us to plunge into this world, to discover with amazement nature's majestic beauty, and wish to have lived a childhood without TV programs, video-games or toys to enjoy what was at our eyes, but got unnoticed.
There is a sort of purity, of harmony, transcending the plot elements in "My Father's Glory", we're literally transported from the beginning to the ending. Nothing happens much in the film but a lot does happen in our hearts, as if Pagnol's memories, were also part of ours, aren't they after all?
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