Rellys Movies
- 1960
This is a routine comedy by novice director and novelist Jean Giono about Jules (Fernandel) a wily French peasant who dallies with a local widow and enjoys spats with his fellow sheepherders. One day he comes across a hidden stash of money and throws a party for all his friends, making them jealous over his newfound fortune. Then he plays a worse trick on them by handing over the money to everyone, confounding their assumptions about their entrenched rivalry. In the end, Jules has the last laugh, because a close look at the currency reveals a startling new fact that sheds light on his strange behavior. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- 1935
The final film in Marcel Pagnol's Marseilles trilogy (following Marius and Fanny), this drama follows Cesariot (Andre Fouche), an 18-year-old who has recently been led to believe that his father, Honore (Fernand Charpin), is not really his father at all. Honore dies without telling Cesariot about his true parentage, but after the funeral, his mother Fanny (Orane Demazis) breaks the news that Cesar (Raimu), who he had always been told was his godfather, is in fact his grandfather. Cesariot asks Cesar for the truth; the old man tells him that his real dad is Marius (Pierre Fresnay), an auto mechanic, and tells him how to find the garage where Marius works. Cesariot sets out to meet Marius, but when he stops by the garage, Marius isn't in. His boss, Fernand (Doumel), decides to have some fun and tells Cesariot that Marius is a notorious outlaw; the boy buys it hook, line, and sinker and returns home heartbroken. When Marius finds out what happened, he realizes that he must find the boy and see if the damage can still be repaired. While any of the three films in Pagnol's trilogy can be enjoyed separately, Cesar in particular is best appreciated when seen alongside the other two films. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Raimu, Pierre Fresnay, (more)
- 1969
Antonin (Fernandel) works on a farm and takes care of the animals in this sentimental comedy. When his boss tells him his favorite old horse has been sold, he takes off with the animal. His goal is to release the horse to run free in the South of France. Antonin runs across a rival who has married a girl he once loved and discovers the woman is scolding, bitchy and evil tempered. He and his equine companion finally make it to freedom, but the horse loves Antonin are tries to follow him home from the swamp. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide
- 1955
The French La Tour de Nesle (The Tower of Nesle) was the third Alexandre Dumas adaptation to be released in the first six weeks of 1955. Like the previous The Queen Margot, the film was scripted by the legendary Abel Gance, who also directed after a 12-year absence from the screen. The somewhat mystical story concerns a sensuous Queen (Silvana Pampani) who delights in luring noblemen to their doom. For this purpose, she has constructed a high tower, where she has imprisoned herself and two equally lovely lasses. Charmed by the naked trio, the noblemen are wined, dined, romanced--and then brutally murdered. Will Buridan (Pierre Brasseur), the film's nominal hero, escape this grisly fate? There's a surprising denouement in store for the wicked queen, not to mention the audience. Though not as innovative and elaborate as Gance's silent masterpiece Napoleon, La Tour de Nesle is nonetheless a lavish recreation of a long-past time and place. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Pierre Brasseur, Silvana Pampanini, (more)
- 1957
The title of this French satirical comedy translates to The Unemployed Man of Clochemerle. In point of fact, there's only one unemployed man in the town Clochemerle, and that's the hapless Tistin (Fernandel). Obliged to use their tax money to keep Tistin from starving, the other townspeople insist that he find some sort of work. Tistin obligingly takes a few jobs, working for the various ladies in town. Before long, the menfolk become convinced that Tistin is playing the field, and they're angry at him all over again. And so it goes under a happy ending -- happy for everyone else, that is. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- 1963
There is nothing especially exceptional about this comedy-drama which focuses on a certain Guillaume (Fernandel) who lives in a small town and is beset by a series of changing circumstances. He is the stationmaster for the town and becomes more than a little worried when the one train that is scheduled to stop here each day is in danger of being cancelled. On top of that, his son finally returns home after a long absence and seems to be intent on marrying a woman from the city. But these worries are offset a little when the son takes an interest in a local lass and Guillaume has a few strokes of good luck. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide
- 1954
Letters from My Windmill (Les Lettres De Mon Moulin) was adapted by French-filmmaker Marcel Pagnol from three short stories by Alphonse Daudet. The first, "The Three Low Masses," involves a clergyman whose taste for gourmet foods leads him to confrontation with Satan. "The Elixir of Father Gaucher" tells of a group of monks who deal in homemade wines and spirits to replenish their church coffers. And "The Secret of Master Cornille" is the story of businessman's harmless ruse which snowballs into near-tragedy. Roger Crouzet plays Alphonse Daudet, who repairs to a deserted windmill to write the three stories dramatized herein. The US prints of Letters from My Windmill contain subtitles written by Hollywood expatriate Preston Sturges. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Roger Crouzet, Robert Vattier, (more)
- 1952
French novelist-turned-film director Marcel Pagnol made this black and white feature in 1953, He later wrote a novel based on his original script, which in turn was the source material for two much better known films made by director Claude Berri in 1986 - - Jean de Florette and Berri's own version of Manon des sources. Released uncut for the first time in 1988, Pagnol' s feature has a hefty running time of over four and a half hours. The story concerns the efforts of the beautiful shepherdess Manon Cadoret (played by the director's wife Jacqueline Pagnol) to avenge the death of her father Jean de Florette. The chief culprit in that death is a hapless peasant (played by veteran Marseilles comic Rellys), who, sadly, is desperately in love with Manon. Manon's revenge involves cutting off the town's water supply, drawing the wrath of the villagers. Her only ally is the town's somewhat haughty schoolteacher (Raymond Pellegrin), who she eventually marries. The action of this film corresponds roughly to Berri's version of Manon des sources. His Jean de Florette focused on events surrounding the father's death, which is here covered mostly in dialogue. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Jacqueline Pagnol, Raymond Pellegrin, (more)
