I've watched this movie several times now, each time hoping I will like it more than the time before. But that doesn't happen. The first movie in the so-called Marseilles Trilogy, Marius (1931), is one of the masterpieces of world cinema, and not surprisingly one of the most beloved of French movies by the French. This movie, based on Pagnol's sequel play of the same name, has much more melodrama and much less humor than Marius, and frankly, the melodrama is not good melodrama (whatever that would be). The scene between Panisse and Fanny, when he explains why he will marry her even though she is pregnant by another man (Marius), is moving and funny. The final scene is interesting for the definition of fatherhood that it puts forward. There are interesting moments here and there throughout the movie. But the whole falls far short of Marius, and too often comes off as just another 1930s movie melodrama. If you liked Marius - and how could you not? - you would want to see this, but don't get your expectations up too high. More's the shame.
Review of Fanny
