A Magnificent Life

Marcel Pagnol (1895-1974), already one of France’s great writers, saw his first sound movie and knew he had to become a filmmaker. With dialogue-driven films shot on location like Fanny, The Baker’s Wife, and Letters from My Windmill, he challenged his contemporaries and is now considered among the greats. Sylvain Chomet, the brilliant animator best known for The Triplets of Bellevue, has (literally) drawn Pagnol’s life with such elan and originality that his story is irresistible.