Das Mädchen und der Scherenschleifer (1937)

Das Mädchen und der Scherenschleifer: Directed by Marcel Pagnol. With Fernandel, Orane Demazis, Marguerite Moreno, Édouard Delmont.

“The village in which most of the action takes place was to be a real one; but Pagnol had to give up on his plans and had a village in ruins built ,not very far from his studios of Marseille where his team could carry on with the work in case of inclement weather.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThird adaptation of pacifist writer Giono for the screen by Pagnol , it has aged better than u0026quot;Angèleu0026quot;: it u0026#39;s even modern nay daring: although Panturle and Arsule live together ,and they are on the family way , there is never a single hint at a marriage !u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eThis is really a renaissance ,from a dying place where only three inhabitants are still leaving -the old mom ,after cursing Virgin Mary ,leaves the village near decay to look for a wife for his son,but she dies along the way – .u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eItu0026#39;s not the umpteenth version of the return to the land : itu0026#39;s the will to stay on this good old earth ;leaving the land is a heartrending experience for the old blacksmith,who,because of his old age ,must come back to his son (and his petulant daughter-in-law) ,and soon will suffer an attack who leaves him paralysed .u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eArsule ,the woman , will be the salvation :first a knife-grinderu0026#39;s companion , sheu0026#39;s treated like a beast of burden ; Fernandel ,cast against type , is par excellence the macho :later he will u0026quot;sell u0026quot; her like a donkey (because she pulls his handcart ).u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eArsuleu0026#39;s metamorphosis is extraordinary when she meets Panturle ; lovingly filmed by her then-lover director ,Orane Demazis turns from a tentative unassuming unattractive gal to a beaming headstrong woman .u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNot only Arsule will help her partner grow wheat ,but a future birth becomes a symbol for the revival of the village ; Arthur Honeggeru0026#39;s music sounds like a symphony , which enhances the final scenes .u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eOften filmed on location in Pagnolu0026#39; s dear Provence , one finds one of the directoru0026#39;s recurrent themes:sympathy for the forgotten ones, the outcasts : the supervisor in u0026quot;Merlusse u0026quot;, the hunchback in u0026quot; Angèleu0026quot; , the heroine and Jean in u0026quot;Manon Des Sources u0026quot; …u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eIt should be pointed out that ,although Fernandel is at the top of the bill, the real star is Gabriel Gabrio as Panturle, a lifetimeu0026#39;s role.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAnd to conclude ,letu0026#39;s note that mutual aid is prominent (the seeds which will allow the harvest) .”