Summary
Angèle is the daughter of a respectable farmer, Clarius, and lives with her parents
and their valet Saturnin on their farm in the South of France. Her life is turned
up-side-down when she meets an attractive young town man, Louis, who is taking a holiday
in the countryside. Angèle knows nothing of Louis' reputation as a gigolo
and allows him to seduce her. Infatuated with Louis, Angèle secretly leaves
her home and follows him to Marseilles. A year later, the faithful Saturnin travels
to the town to try to find Angèle and persuade her to return home. To his
surprise, he finds that Angèle has been rejected by her precious Louis and she
has been forced to make a living as a prostitute. To make matters worse, she has
given birth to an illegitimate child. Saturnin returns to Clarius' farm with
Angèle and her baby son, but the old farmer's reaction is predictable. Appalled
at what Angèle has done, Clarius locks her up in a cellar and guards his farm with
a rifle to ensure that no-one discovers his daughter's disgrace. Meanwhile, the
one man who loves Angèle, a young farmer named Albin, is determined to find Angèle
and ask her to marry him - but he is oblivious her unhappy story...
Review
This is the first of Marcel Pagnol’s three ambitious film adaptations of novels by Jean
Giono (followed by Regain and La Femme du boulanger). Like many of
Pagnol’s films, Angèle presents a romanticised view of life in Provence,
reflecting Pagnol’s love for the region perhaps better than the austere reality of the
situation.
Pagnol’s use of location filming and direct sound was a radical departure from the norm
at the time, and his work is often cited as the inspiration for neo-realism which rose
to prominence in the following decade.
Although the film drags in a few places, the sheer poetry in the dialogue and the depth
of characterisation makes this a rich and captivating work of cinema. Fernandel,
Jean Servais and Orane Demazis are a pleasure to watch, exuding genuine emotions in their
performances.
Pagnol was a great observer of human nature, and this is reflected as much in his work
as a director as in his extraordinary writing. This film bears testimony to that
in abundance. There is not one scene in this film which appears staged or insincere.
Although the story is a simple one, of corruption and redemption, Pagnol makes of it something
intensely moving and enchanting. It is regarded by many as his finest work as a
director.
© James Travers 2000
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