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Marius

Director: Alexander Korda
Year: 1931
Run-time: 2 hr 7 min
Source: Criterion Channel Streaming

Notable For:  Adapted from a play by Marcel Pagnol, Marius is the first in a trilogy of films set in Marseille that develops Pagnol's rich and diverse cast of characters.  Pagnol's dialogue deftly maneuvers between comedy and dramatic poignancy.  Few films of this era can make appropriate use of so many wonderful characters, including but not limited to Marius himself, his paramour Fanny, and their respective parents Cesar and Alida.  Korda's direction respects the script but enhances the sense of place, a small, comfortable town on the French coast which Marius longs to escape.  It's a landmark French film that mixes drama and comedy in a different way than Chaplin pioneered.

Verdict:  Marius is an accessible, charming film that deserves a bigger audience (although it certainly has its champions).  The performances are strong, and though the story is simple, it's compelling as a romance.  The only aspect that tempers my enthusiasm is Marius' character himself, whose decisions never quite earn my empathy.  (Couldn't he just leave for eight months and come back to marry Fanny?)  Nevertheless, the strength of Fanny and Cesar in this film makes me extremely excited to watch the other entries in this trilogy.  Overall, this one's a winner.
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