Josette Day brings dinner to her father, Raimu, on her 18th birthday. Charles Gray, who is fishing in a stream, helps her over and back, but does not get her name, although she accepts a ride from him on his motorcycle. Fernandel, Raimu's assistant, asks Raimu for Mlle Day; he agrees, but Mlle Day doesn't want him. She goes with him to the fair the next day, to see Raimu's friend, Gray, who is a pilot. She leaves Fernandel, and winds up expecting Gray's child, but that comes later. The next day, when she is to meet him, he has unexpectedly been posted to Africa. His mother, Line Noro, is to bring her a letter explaining, but she takes one look at Mlle Day, and burns it. When Raimu and Mlle Day go to his parents to tell them they will be having a grandchild, she accuses them of blackmail. Raimu sends Mlle Day away to his estranged sister, Milly Mathis, and refuses to have her name mentioned in the house. Gray is reported dead.
It's all under the direction of Marcel Pagnol, and the comedy of Raimu and Fernandel soon gives way to heartbreak and anger. When Raimu is present, he dominates the screen, with his sorrow, long discourses, and the pride of the working poor; only Mlle Mathis can share the screen with him. Nonetheless, when he is not present, Fernandel offers a telling performance, half clown, half honest man in love. Clairette Oddera, as the second of Raimu's five daughters, offers a few spark, but Raimu's performance, as almost always, is compelling.
But I babble. The copy I saw is missing about 15 minutes of its original 150 minutes, but every one of them is superb. With Fernand Charpin.
