Background
Born on February 25, 1895, in a suburb of Marseilles, he showed an early interest in writing plays, but, like his father, became a teacher.
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(Tracklist: • A1 Part 1 • B1 Part 2)
Tracklist: • A1 Part 1 • B1 Part 2
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Born on February 25, 1895, in a suburb of Marseilles, he showed an early interest in writing plays, but, like his father, became a teacher.
In 1913, at the age of 18, Marcel passed his baccalaureate in philosophy and started studying literature at the University in Aix-en-Provence. When World War I broke out, he was called up into the infantry at Nice but in January 1915 he was discharged because of his poor constitution ("faiblesse de constitution''). He graduated in English and became an English teacher, teaching in various local colleges and at a lycée in Marseille.
Marcel Pagnol showed an early interest in writing plays, but, like his father, became a teacher. After serving in World War I he moved to Paris, where he taught English. He became a playwright of national prominence in 1928 when Topaze, his drama about the corruptive power of money, was produced on the stage. In 1930 he saw his first sound film and, because he was convinced they offered greater scope for drama than plays, decided to devote his career to motion pictures. In 1931 he founded a cinema review, Les Cahiers du film, and the following year he formed his own film production company. His trilogy about workers on the Marseilles waterfront, Marius (1931), Fanny (1932), and Cesar (1936), adapted from his stage plays, brought him international fame. Pagnol's concentration on dialogue gained him a reputation as a proponent of "filmed theater, " but his subsequent films, such as Angele (1934) and Regain (Harvest, 1937), proved he was primarily interested in portraying character. One of his favorite themes was the return of man to the soil, which he depicted in Jofroi (1934), Regain, and Manon des sources (1952). The simplicity and naturalness with which he examined the life of the French peasant linked him to the Italian neorealists of post World War II and to Jean Renoir. Among Pagnol's other films are Topaze (three versions, 1933, 1936, and 1951), adapted from his stage plays; Merlusse (1935), based on his teaching experiences; La Femme du boulanger (The Baker's Wife, 1938) and La Fille du puisatier (The Well-Digger's Daughter, 1940), two comedies about French workers; Nais (1946), from a novel by Emile Zola; La Belle MeunièreMeuniere (The Miller's Daughter, 1948), drawn from the life of Franz Schubert; Carnaval (Carnival, 1953); and Les Lettres de mon moulin (Letters from My Windmill, 1954). Pagnol's written works, apart from his many film scripts and plays, include two novels, a treatise on laughter, various essays about film, and an autobiography. Pagnol was the first filmmaker to be elected to the distinguished Academie Francaise (1946). He died in his Paris mansion on Apr. 18, 1974.
(Tracklist: • A1 Part 1 • B1 Part 2)
Quotations:
"The most difficult secret for a man to keep is his own opinion of himself. "
"It's better to choose the culprits than to seek them out. "
"Such is the life of a man. Moments of joy, obliterated by unforgettable sadness. There's no need to tell the children that. "
His father, Joseph, was an “instituteur”, the more modest rank of teacher as compared with the more qualified “professeur” of the lycées. His mother, Augustine was a dressmaker. Marcel was the eldest child and he had two younger brothers, Paul and René and a younger sister, Germaine. Marcel’s youngest brother, René, was born in 1909 and so does not appear in “Le Château de ma mere”, which tells of two years in the lives of the Pagnol family - 1904 – 1905.
On 2 March 1916, he married Simone Colin in Marseille.
Separated from Simone Collin since 1926 (though not divorced until 1941), he formed a relationship with the young English dancer Kitty Murphy: their son, Jacques Pagnol, was born on 24 September 1930. (Jacques later became his father's assistant and subsequently a cameraman for France 3 Marseille. )
In 1941 Marcel married to Josette Day.
He was born in 1869 and died in 1951.
She was born in 1873 and died in 1910.
She was born in 1902 - 1993.
She was a French film actress.
He was born on 24 September 1930.
He was born in 1898 and died in 1932.
He was born in 1909 and died in 1997.
They divorced in 1941.
She was a dancer.
