La porteuse de pain

Marcel Camus is famous for his "Orfeo negro" which deservedly won the "Palme d' Or" in the Cannes Festival 1959.Since,he was never able to capitalize on the success of his exotic musical and he tried new tacks :after another exotic story "l'Oiseau de Paradis" ,he tackled the nightclubs world in "Vivre la Nuit" and the comedy with "Le Mur de l'Atlantique " which happened to be Bourvil's last part.

"La Porteuse de Pain" was one of those countless interminable melodramas which were serialized in newspapers :"les Deux Orphelines" which would become DW Griffith's "orphans in the storm" and "les Mystères de Paris" (probably the best of the lot) were,along "la Porteuse de Pain" ,the most famous ones.

"La Porteuse de Pain" was the story of poor pitiful Jeanne Fortier ,a good woman ,unfairly accused of theft ,sent to jail,her unfortunate children left alone .... She escaped but she had to hide and she became a "Porteuse de Pain" (= bread carrier) and she was finally cleared of the charge after many adventures.

Marcel Camus did a good job and the six episodes of the miniseries are very entertaining;Martine Sarcey seems to carry all the world's misfortunes on her shoulder;supporting cast includes French luminaries as Bernard Giraudeau and the late Jacques Villeret .

The last line of this naive novel was "I 've been suffering a lot,but now it's paradise! Ah! God is good!"Oddly ,Camus ends his miniseries with ominous news of an impending WW1 as French traditional "Le Temps des Cerises" is heard.

I tried "La porteuse de pain" knowing it's a melodrama, not my kind of favorite stories. But it works successfully : fine settings, brilliant dialogues by René Wheeler (one of the best scenarist in France) and unique cast.

Especially Martine Sarcey as Jeanne Fortier in the lead character, very modest and humble, so touching in accepting her fate. And I really loved the character of Etienne Castel, the distinguished painter helping Jeanne Fortier, played by Daniel Dadzu who has a strong and human presence, he deserves the so brilliant dialogues by René Wheeler.

The only weak point is the last episode, ending the story too much quickly and with an actor that ruins this abrupt ending. Real pity.

I do not see Jacques Villeret in this movie as other gentleman reviewer wrote, maybe he got confused with Maurice Risch. You will recognize young Carole Laure and Bernard Giraudeau and you won't miss Philippe Léotard. And very good directing job by Marcel Camus, of course.