(Re)discover “La Femme du boulanger”, a real gem directed by Marcel Pagnol in 1938, and broadcast at 2:30 p.m. on France 3.
Every morning, in the middle of a modest Provençal village, the baker Aimable Castanier takes out from his bakery a good soft and crispy bread which delights all the inhabitants. In love with his wife Aurélie as much as with his job, the brave man finds himself totally desperate the day she disappears, seduced by the shepherd Dominique.
Lost and distraught, Aimable then decides to go on a bread strike until his beloved returns, to the great dismay of the entire village. The residents then decide to take matters into their own hands and organize themselves to find the missing woman at all costs.
One of Pagnol’s most beautiful works
If you grew up with La Gloire de mon père by Yves Robert or Jean de Florette by Claude Berri, adapted from the immortal works of Marcel Pagnol, we cannot advise you enough to go back even further in time and take an interest in films which were staged by the author himself.
Tenth feature film directed by Marcel Pagnol, La Femme du Boulanger is among the most famous and accomplished, since it wonderfully combines the two main qualities expected in any Pagnolesque work: finely crafted dialogues that sing like cicadas, and for to honor them, absolutely breathtaking actors.
Marcel Pagnol Films
Raimu at the top
At the top of the cast sits Emperor Raimu, who is known in particular for having played the unforgettable Caesar in the Marseille trilogy, and who delivers here one of the most impressive performances of his entire career.
Adapted from a short story by Jean Giono, The Baker’s Wife (like many works by Marcel Pagnol) has gone far beyond French borders, since Orson Welles himself had declared his admiration for the film.
We therefore recommend that you catch up without delay with this classic, the quality of the actors and the solidity of the dialogues have not aged a bit in 86 years.
(Re)discover the trailer for “The Baker’s Wife”…