The prolific Provençal writer Marcel Pagnol is probably best known to North Americans for a series of four autobiographical novels, two of which—My Father’s Glory and My Mother’s Castle—were later made into highly successful films. But few know that Pagnol was also a pioneer of French cinema, who opened his own film studio in Marseillein 1932. Most of Pagnol’s films have been unavailable on this continent, a source of frustration for fans like me. Fortunately, Criterion has begun to remedy the situation, starting with Pagnol’s famous Marseille Trilogy (Marius; Fanny; César), set in that city’s legendary vieux port. Now there’s also The Baker’s Wife (1938), one of the first films made by Pagnol’s studio. The story takes place in a small, Provençal village, where a new baker has set up shop. Key plot point: the baker has a very attractive young wife, who (surprise) falls for a handsome shepherd. Late one night, the two of them run away together. This precipitates a village crisis when the baker, disconsolate, refuses to bake bread. Deprived of fresh baguettes and pain de campagne, the villagers take drastic action. To see how the crisis is resolved, look for the film on Criterion’s streaming service, or check it out from your local library (on DVD and Blu-ray).
