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S E A R C H    D V D B e a v e r

Directed by Marcel Pagnol
France 1938

 

The warmth and wit of celebrated playwright turned cinema auteur Marcel Pagnol shine in this enchanting slice-of-life comedy. Returning to the Provençal countryside he knew intimately, Pagnol draws a vivid portrait of a close-knit village where the marital woes of a sweetly deluded baker (the inimitable Raimu, praised by no less than Orson Welles as “the greatest actor who ever lived”) snowball into a scandal that engulfs the town. Marrying the director’s abiding concern for the experiences of ordinary people with an understated but superbly judged visual style, The Baker’s Wife is at once wonderfully droll and piercingly perceptive in its depiction of the complexities of human relationships.

***

The Baker's Wife (La Femme de Boulanger), though based on a novel by Jean Giono, was specially tailored by writer/director Marcel Pagnol for the talents of the incomparable Raimu. The star plays the new baker in the French community of Provence. One of Raimu's first customers is shepherd Charles Moulin, who is immediately smitten by the middle-aged baker's young, toothsome wife Ginette LeClerc. In short order, Ginette runs off with Moulin, a turn of events that the stubborn Raimu refuses to acknowledge. As he grows more taciturn, he neglects his work, and soon the whole village anxiously awaits the wife's return, else they'll never see another loaf of bread. The local Marquis (Charpin) takes matters in hand by leading the townsfolk in a search party for the wayward wife. The charms of The Baker's Wife are both captivating and fragile; an attempt in 1976 to turn the property into a Broadway musical proved the fragility by ignoring the charm.

Excerpt from B+N located HERE

Posters

Theatrical Release: September 7th, 1938

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Review: Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

Box Cover

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Distribution Criterion Spine #986 - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
Runtime 2:14:08.582        
Video

1.37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 49,076,561,872 bytes

Feature: 36,727,308,288 bytes

Video Bitrate: 32.49 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.

Bitrate Blu-ray:

Audio

LPCM Audio French 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit

Subtitles English, None
Features Release Information:
Studio:
Criterion

 

1.37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray

Disc Size: 49,076,561,872 bytes

Feature: 36,727,308,288 bytes

Video Bitrate: 32.49 Mbps

Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video

 

Edition Details:

• New selected-scene audio commentary featuring Marcel Pagnol scholar Brett Bowles (intro 3:54, 11:44, 11:33, 11:47)
• Introduction by Pagnol from 1967 (5:31)
• Excerpt from a 1966 interview with Pagnol for the French television series Cinéastes de notre temps 26:09)
• Short French news program from 1976 revisiting the village of Le Castellet, where the film was shot (13:19)
• PLUS: An essay by film scholar Ginette Vincendeau


Blu-ray Release Date:
July 16th, 2019
Transparent Blu-ray Case

Chapters 15

 

 

Comments:

NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: Criterion Blu-ray (June 2019): The Criterion Blu-ray video is derived from a 'New 4K digital restoration'. It looks wonderful in 1080P. This is on a dual-layered disc with a very high bitrate - and has scenes that are beautifully contrast, depth is apparent and there is rich, appealing film grain. Aside from a few inconsistencies - the image quality is excellent especially considering the film's 90-year age.

On their Blu-ray, Criterion use a linear PCM mono track (24-bit) in the original French language. It only suffers moderately from the film's production limitations of the era with discernable dialogue. The film's score is by Vincent Scotto (Marius and Cesar from The Marseille Trilogy). Criterion offer optional English subtitles on their Region 'A' Blu-ray.

The Criterion supplements include a new selected-scene audio commentary featuring Marcel Pagnol scholar Brett Bowles with three sections - RECONCILING A DIVIDED FRANCE, THE FOLKLORE OF BAKERS AND BREAD and SEXUALITY AND MARRIAGE that follow a 4-minute Introduction. In the three selected-scene commentaries scholar Brett Bowles discusses The Baker's Wife in the contexts of the social and political climate of 1930s France, French folkloric traditions, and gender roles. Bowles is the author of Marcel Pagnol (2012), part of the Manchester University Press series on French filmmakers. We get a 5 1/2 minute introduction by Pagnol in which he discusses the development and casting of the film, from 1967. There is a 26-minute excerpt from a 1966 interview with Pagnol for the French television series Cinéastes de notre temps where , the writer-director discusses his theories on cinema and the making of The Baker's Wife. Lastly, is a 1/4 hour French news program from 1976 revisiting the village of Le Castellet, where The Baker's Wife was filmed. Actors Ginette Leclerc and Charles Moulin make appearances, along with residents who remember the filming and note the changes to the town. The package contains a liner notes booklet with an essay by film scholar Ginette Vincendeau.

This is fun and warm with great characters - such 'French countryside' charisma. Many, including Orson Welles, consider it Pagnol's best film. From those I have seen - I would agree. At the writing of this review (June 2019) it is 50% OFF at Barnes and Noble and 43% OFF at Amazon Pre-order. We can't recommend it highly enough - a magnificent film experience on a complete, 4K-restored Blu-ray.  

Gary Tooze

 


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Box Cover

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Distribution Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray

 


 

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