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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
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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
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Theatrical Release: September 7th, 1938
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Review: Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray
| Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from:
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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-rayDisc Size: 49,076,561,872 bytesFeature: 36,727,308,288 bytes Video Bitrate: 32.49 MbpsCodec: MPEG-4 AVC Video |
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NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes. |
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| Bitrate Blu-ray: |
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| Audio |
LPCM Audio French 1152 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 1152 kbps / 24-bit |
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| Subtitles | English, None | |
| Features |
Release Information: Studio: Criterion
1. 37:1 1080P Dual-layered Blu-rayDisc Size: 49,076,561,872 bytesFeature: 36,727,308,288 bytes Video Bitrate: 32.49 MbpsCodec: 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)
Transparent Blu-ray Case Chapters 15 |
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| Comments: |
NOTE:
The below
Blu-ray
captures were taken directly from the
Blu-ray
disc.
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 |
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| Box Cover |
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CLICK to order from:
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| Distribution | Criterion - Region 'A' - Blu-ray | |
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Gary Tooze
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