Marcel Paul Pagnol was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française. Although his work is less fashionable than it once was, Pagnol is still generally regarded as one of France's greatest 20th-century writers and is notable for the fact that he excelled in almost every medium—memoir, novel, drama and film.
Jean Giono was a French writer who wrote works of fiction mostly set in the Provence region of France.
The Baker's Wife is a 1938 French drama film directed by Marcel Pagnol. It is based on the novel Blue Boy by French author Jean Giono and became the basis of the American musical The Baker's Wife.
Topaze is a 1928 play in four acts by the French writer Marcel Pagnol. It tells the story of a modest school teacher who is fired for being too honest and decides to become a dishonest businessman. The play premiered on 9 October 1928 at the Théâtre des Variétés. It was performed on Broadway in 1930 with Frank Morgan in the title role.
Marius is a 1931 French drama film directed by Alexander Korda. It is based on the 1929 play of the same title by Marcel Pagnol. The film is a part of the Marseille Trilogy which includes the films Fanny and César. The film was selected to be screened in the Cannes Classics section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival. The restored film was also given a limited re-release in the United States by Janus Films on 4 January 2017, first premiering at Film Forum.
Gabriel Gabrio was a French stage and film actor whose career began in cinema in the silent film era of the 1920s and spanned more than two decades. Gabrio is possibly best remembered for his roles as Jean Valjean in the 1925 Henri Fescourt-directed adaptation of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, Cesare Borgia in the 1935 Abel Gance-directed biopic Lucrèce Borgia and as Carlos in the 1937 Julien Duvivier-directed gangster film Pépé le Moko, opposite Jean Gabin.
Angèle is a 1934 French drama film directed, produced and written by Marcel Pagnol, based on the 1929 novel Un de Baumugnes by Jean Giono. It stars Orane Demazis.
César is a 1936 French film, written and directed by Marcel Pagnol. It is the final part of his Marseille trilogy, which began with the film Marius and was followed by Fanny. Unlike the other two films in the trilogy, César was not based on a play by Pagnol, but written directly as a film script. In 1946 Pagnol adapted the script as a stage play.
Marguerite Moreno was a French stage and film actress.
Berlingot and Company is a 1939 French comedy film directed by Fernand Rivers and starring Fernandel, Suzy Prim and Fernand Charpin.
Orane Demazis was a French actress.
Jofroi is a 1934 French drama film directed by Marcel Pagnol and starring Vincent Scotto. It tells the story of a man who has sold his orchard. When the new owner wants to cut the trees down, the former owner threatens with suicide. The film is based on the short story "Jofroi de la Maussan" by Jean Giono, which appears in the collection of his short stories The Solitude of Compassion.
Second Harvest is a 1930 novel by the French writer Jean Giono. The narrative is set in a nearly abandoned village, where the last heir succeeds to find love in a woman who saves him from a river.
Lovers Are Never Losers is a 1929 novel by the French writer Jean Giono. It tells a love story set in rural France in the early 20th century. It is the standalone second entry in Giono's Pan trilogy; it was preceded by Colline and followed by Second Harvest. It was published in English in 1931, translated by Jacques Le Clercq.
Blue Boy is a 1932 novel by French writer Jean Giono. It tells the story of a family in Provence, with an ironer mother and a shoemaker father. The book is largely autobiographical and based on Giono's childhood, although it has many fictional anecdotes. An English translation by Katherine A. Clarke was published in 1946.
Heartbeat is a 1938 French comedy film directed by Marcel Pagnol and starring Fernandel, Orane Demazis and Fernand Charpin. It was remade in 1999 as Le schpountz, directed by Gérard Oury.
Fire in the Straw is a 1939 French drama film directed by Jean Benoît-Lévy and starring Lucien Baroux, Orane Demazis and Gaby Basset.
Gigolette is a 1937 French drama film directed by Yvan Noé and starring Florelle, Gabriel Gabrio and Rosine Deréan.
Alexandre Arnaudy was a French actor, born Marius Guarino on July 17, 1881 in Marseille, where he died on November 1, 1969.
The Pan trilogy consists of three novels by the French writer Jean Giono, published in 1929–1930. The stand-alone stories are set in Provence and revolve the struggles of the peasant population. Two of the novels were made into films in the 1930s by Marcel Pagnol.
