César (film)

César
Directed by	Marcel Pagnol
Written by	Marcel Pagnol
Starring	Raimu Pierre Fresnay
Music by	Vincent Scotto
Cinematography	Willy Faktorovitch Grischa Roger Ledru
Editing by	Suzanne de Troeye Jeannette Ginestet
Release date(s)	October 27, 1936
Running time	168 min
Country	France
Language	French

"César" is a 1936 French film, written and directed by Marcel Pagnol. It's the final part of his Marseille trilogy, which began with the film Marius and was followed by Fanny. In difference to these two movies "César"was not based on a play by Pagnol, but written directly as a film script. In 1946 Pagnol adapted the script as a stage play.

Plot

Honoré Panisse is dying, cheerfully, with friends, wife, and son at his side. He confesses to the priest in front of his friends; he insists that the doctor be truthful. But, he cannot bring himself to tell his son Césariot that his real father is Marius, the absent son of César, Césariot's godfather. Panisse leaves that to Fanny, the lad's mother. Dissembling that he's off to see a friend, Césariot then seeks Marius, now a mechanic in Toulon. Posing as a journalist, Césariot spends time with Marius and leaves believing tales he is a petty thief. Only after the truth comes out can Marius, Fanny, César, and Césariot step beyond the falsehoods, benign though they may be.

Cast

• Marius (Pierre Fresnay)
• Fanny Panisse (Orane Demazis)
• Honoré Panisse (Charpin)
• Honorine Cabanis (Alida Rouff
• Césariot Panisse (André Fouche)
• Claudine Foulon (Milly Mathis)
• Albert Brown (Robert Vattier)
• Felix Escartefique (Paul Dullac)
• Innocent Mangiapan (Marcel Maupi)
• Dr. Felicien Venelle (Edouard Delmont)
• Elzear Bonnegrâce (Thommeray)
• Missionary boy (Jean Castan)
• Pierre Dromard (Robert Bassac)
• Assistant of Panisse (Relly)

In popular culture

• The famed restaurateur and founder of California cuisine, Alice Waters, was so taken by this film that she named her Berkeley restaurant "Chez Panisse". The café upstairs from the restaurant is decorated with posters from the films "Marius", "Fanny", and "César". (http://akas.imdb.com/title/tt0022877/trivia)
• The main characters from the films Marius, Fanny and César make a cameo appearance in the Asterix comic book Asterix and the Banquet. (http://www.mage.fst.uha.fr/asterix/allusion/pagnol.html) (http://www.asterix.com/encyclopedia/characters/cesar-drinklikafix.html)
• James Whale's film Port of Seven Seas is a remake of "César". (http://akas.imdb.com/title/tt0030615/)

External Links

• http://akas.imdb.com/title/tt0027489/