My Father's Glory

This, like "Jean de Florette" and "Manon Of The Spring" is the first of two French films that go together. The second part of this story is the film, "My Mother's Castle." See them both, but if you can only see one, my recommendation is "My Mother's Castle."

As in many French films, this offers very little action and not much that is noteworthy but is filled with interesting characters and excellent storytelling. The French still offer that great storytelling, something that has slowly faded among filmmakers in other countries.

This story is based on the memoirs of Marcel Pagnol, a very Liberal educator and atheist. His views are probably the main reason critics all loved this movie. They could identify.

Despite the father's shortcomings, there is a nice appeal here as all the characters are interesting to varying degrees. I love the way they all express themselves, certainly different than we do here in North America. As with most of these French stories, there is very little profanity, too.

"My Father's Glory," and its sequel "My Mother's Castle," tell the story of a young boy's "wonder years" growing up in a family with an adored father, a lovely but frail mother, and assorted eccentric relatives and friends. These are incredibly charming films that feature none of the violent action and highly charged emotions that we've come to expect in popular films today. Instead, they celebrate the simple joys of life in a warm and loving family. When minor but unexpected events occasionally disrupt the day-to-day flow of events, they can seem like terrible disasters. On the other hand, a simple visit to the country can seem like a tremendous adventure. It's not necessary to have seen "My Father's Glory" to enjoy "My Mother's Castle." In fact, I happened to see them out of order and I loved them just the same. But if I had my preference, I'd watch them in order. The final scene of "My Mother's Castle" is emotionally powerful and satisfying; for me it confirmed that every minute I'd invested in these films was worthwhile. I wanted to get up there on the screen and help. In French with English subtitles.

Marcel Pagnol always wanted to adapt for the screen his childhood memories that he related in 4 novels. Unfortunately, he died without he made his plan. So, it was one of his friends, Yves Robert who undertook to make the coveted movie and the result turns out to be very convincing. Yves Robert's movie restitutes perfectly the atmosphere of Pagnol's book and he made a tender, hearty movie, lulled by Vladimir Cosma's nonchalant music where the shiny sun and sky of Provence reply to the wild beauty of the hills. These hills will make the little Marcel's enchantment. Thanks to a fluid making, Robert films the happiness and the naïvety of childhood with a certain impishness. Besides, Robert always enjoyed filming childhood like Truffaut and we particularly rediscover the quoted impishness in one of his movies: "la guerre des boutons". Robert introduces us the Pagnol's family and shows liking towards his characters. More than Marcel's character, these are his feelings towards his family which Robert tries to define, especially the pride towards his lucid and ambitious father (excellent Philippe Caubère) after his hunting achievement. Moreover, he loves tenderly his mother but tends to despise his uncle. He blames him for being a liar and a conceited person. At the end, a limpid movie that remembers with nostalgia of a past era. Pagnol would certainly have appreciated the result. If the movie introduces a bitter end, it depicts the last picture as something symbolic: " the glory of Marcel's father".

The story is simple--it is about a young boy who spent his summers in the hills of Provence--yet it manages to tug the viewer at the heart. It is such a far cry from the families we see today who have no time to relate to each other. The boy's love for his father (and mother)clearly shines in this film.

The father is a school teacher, an atheist, and a republican. But he is a loving husband and a great father to his children. The mother is shy and affectionate and is sensitive the needs of her husband and children. So what makes this film such an enchanting experience? Since I am not a writer, I cannot really put into words the way I felt after watching this film. I know it left a smile in my heart...it also made me nostalgic for it reminded me of my own childhood. I wanted it to go on long after the movie ended. Watch it and you will know what I mean. It will take you back to the magical moments of growing up.

This is a very detailed description of the life of a French family. It is a sweet story gently told. It is about growing up, expanding horizons, the influence of friends and family members, enjoying happy times together, and reacting to life's inevitable problems. In this film we recognise moments in our own lives. The film has a universal theme.

In a documentary style the older son Marcel relates how his father Joseph a schoolteacher takes up positions in various parts of France and how before school-going age he sits at the back of the class and quickly learns how to read the text on the blackboard. Family life seems to revolve around teaching and the classroom until Aunt Rose meets Jules on a park seat and eventually marries him. After Jules joins the family circle father learns that there are more things in life than the educational system.

When the family rents a villa in a wild part of Provence, Jules instructs father on the use of the gun and they go on hunting sprees together. On one of these expeditions the son gets lost and meets up with a local boy about his own age. From him he learns about local birds, the eagles, the owls and scary stories about how these wild birds go for the eyes of their prey. This escape into the wild is a charming part of the family's life story and the final parting between the two boys when the family finally leaves is indeed moving.

The story is sprinkled with amusing incidents. For most boys the birth of a child is nothing short of a miracle. They conjecture that the navel is a kind of button which can be unbuttoned to let the baby out. And when father learns to shoot, Jules attaches a target to the outside toilet door. Father is delighted when he gets a bull's eye and Jules does well too. Not so the maid who happens to be inside the toilet at the time. Fortunately she emerges shaken but unharmed.

The film covers so much of French life. It is amazing how much is packed in. The story unfolds at an easy pace with beautiful music that never intrudes and scenery that astounds. I can recommend this little masterpiece about how wonderful family life can be.