Synopsis
Manon, a wild shepherdess driven by the desire for revenge, is not content to repel the advances of poor Ugolin, who proclaims his passion to all winds. She diverts the spring that supplies water to the communal fountain. The whole village is condemned to death.
“In June 1952, Marcel Pagnol started shooting. In order not to get out of the atmosphere, Marcel and Jacqueline moved into a house in the village. The film was shot from start to finish in La Treille and its surroundings. The shy Rellys is their host; every morning, he shaves and drinks coffee with his author who explains the finer points of the role of Ugolin. This summer is particularly hot. So we get up early to work before the scorching hours; sometimes, however, the operator points out that the actors “have their noses in their mouths and my grandmother’s wrinkles” because the sun is at its zenith.”
René Pagnol.
Technical data
- Genre: drama
- Duration: 3 hrs 55 min
- Director: Marcel Pagnol
- Script and dialogues: Marcel Pagnol
- Photography: Willy Faktorovitch, known as Willy
- Cameraman: Charly Willy-Gricha, assisted by Roger Ledru, Clément Maure and André Soriano (trainee operator)
- Sound: Marcel Royné, Zaccaro (perchman), Louis Guilbaud (recorder)
- Music: Raymond Legrand
- Additional music: extract from L’Arlésienne by Georges Bizet
- Choirs of the village of La Treille, under the direction of Father Party
- Editing: Raymonde Bianchi, Jacques Bianchi
- Script-girl: Raymonde Bourrely
- Set design: Eugène Delfau
- General manager: Léon Bourrely, assisted by Marcel Correnson
- Outside director: Henri Garzia
- Accessory designers: Paul Latière and Marcel Laudrin
- Set photographer: Henri Moirond
- Make-up: Paul Ralph
- Technical Officer: Bruno Negri
- Shooting in the studios of Marseille Outdoor shooting: Marseille ( La Treille village), Aubagne(Bouches-du-Rhône)
- Producer: Marcel Pagnol
- Production company: La société Nouvelle des Films Marcel Pagnol
- Distribution company: Gaumont
- Director of production: Charles Pons
Distribution
- Jacqueline Pagnol: Manon
- Raymond Pellegrin: Bernard, the teacher
- Anne Roudier: Magali, Bernard’s mother
- Rellys: Ugolin
- Fernand Sardou: Philoxène, the mayor
- Henri Arius: Claudius, the butcher
- André Bervil: Anatole, the baker
- Charles Blavette: Pamphile, the carpenter
- Milly Mathis: Amélie, Pamphile’s wife
- Edmond Ardisson: Ange, the fountain maker
- Luce Dassas: Ange’s wife
- Julien Maffre: Pétugue, the blacksmith
- Christian Lude: the engineer
- Henri Poupon: the Papet
- Robert Vattier: Mr. Belloiseau
- Henri Vilbert: the priest
- René Sarvil: the brigadier
- Édouard Delmont: Anglade
- Marcel Daxely: Josias, a son of Anglade
- Del Bosco: Jonas, Anglade’s other son
- Jean-Marie Bon: Cabridan
- Jenny Hélia: Aricie, Cabridan’s wife
- Marcelle Géniat: Baptistine, the Piedmontese
- Jean Panisse: Eliacin
- Marthe Marty: Sidonie
- Andrée Turcy: the butcher
- Alfred Goulin: the big hunchback
- Jeanne Mars: Nathalie
- Jacques Valois: the director of Bauxites
- Jean Toscan: Polyte
- Marguerite Chabert: Polyte’s mother
