FANNY
US Premiere • Drama, Romance • France, 2013
DCP • 1.85 • Dolby 5.1 • Color • 93 min
Directed by: Daniel Auteuil
Written by: Daniel Auteuil, based on the play by Marcel Pagnol
Cinematography: Jean-Francois Robin
Film Editing: Joëlle Hache
Original Score: Alexandre Desplat
Produced by: Alain Sarde (A.S. Films), Jérôme Seydoux (Pathé)
Cast: Daniel Auteuil (César), Victoire Belezy (Fanny), Jean-Pierre Darroussin (Panisse), Raphaël Personnaz (Marius), Marie-Anne Chazel (Honorine).
International Sales: Pathé Distribution • patheinternational.com
US Distributor: Kino Lorber
US Release date: Summer 2014
Part two of the Marseille Trilogy, Fanny settles in for a more intimate look at the travails of Fanny’s life with Panisse, the man who stepped up when her honor was at stake. Thanks to a deal brokered in part by Fanny’s mother and the wise but crusty César, Fanny will get financial security and avoid scandal and shame, while Panisse gets what he wants. Well, half of what he wants, anyway. Newcomer Victoire Belezy is more than up for the task of conveying Fanny’s emotional turmoil, while seasoned actor Jean-Pierre Darroussin brings a sure hand to the sympathetic senior Panisse, who is hoping to wrest some genuine love from the arrangement. As long as Marius stays out of the picture, he has a chance.
It was as an actor that writer/director Daniel Auteuil first interpreted the world of playwright, novelist and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol, having arrived on the international stage playing the conniving farmer Ugolin in the 1986 film adaptations of the Pagnol novels Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring. Since then, Auteuil has been recognized the world over for his range and appeal as an actor, appearing in such seminal films as My Favorite Season (1993), Queen Margot (1994 – COLCOA 2014) and Caché (2005) written and directed by Michael Haneke. In 2011, Auteuil dipped into the Pagnol oeuvre again, adapting another novel for his directorial debut, The Well-Digger’s Daughter (COLCOA 2012). The Marseille Trilogy on which Marius and Fanny are based, were originally theater pieces. Pagnol himself, who would go on to his own screenwriting and directing career, produced the first filmed version in 1932. There were two subsequent filmed adaptations, including a Preston Sturges written 1938 version, and of course, the 1961 classic starring Charles Boyer and Maurice Chevalier. Auteuil’s adaptations, shot simultaneously, remain faithful to the original texts. COLCOA is pleased to present the official U.S. Premieres of Marius and Fanny as a double feature.
“Superbly performed and polished romantic drama.”
- Jordan Mintzer HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
“Marius is a lovingly crafted piece of cinema that will doubtless arouse a resurgence of interest in Marcel Pagnol's oeuvre around the world.”
- James Travers FILMSDEFRANCE
“Personnaz (…) is beautifully teamed with Bélézy, the pair of them always hitting the right note of romance without tipping into schmaltz or silliness.”
- Amber Wilkinson EYE FOR FILM
