There were the famous Marius, Fanny and César. There should have been Florence, Dominique and Pierre. Three characters who were to give life to another Marcel Pagnol trilogy. But the writer and filmmaker deliberately destroyed the films during the shooting. To understand why, let’s go to the Principality of Monaco in the summer of 1941.
La muse Josette Day
It is barely 5 am, and as the first rays of the sun light up the Rock, Marcel Pagnol is already at work. Face-to-face with his typewriter, the author of the Marseille trilogy is on the verge of completing a scenario on which he has been working for three years already. In the 1920s, Pagnol had made a name for himself thanks to the theater. But the appearance of talking cinema decided him to add a string to his bow. In a few weeks, he will be able to start shooting his next film in an ideal setting, that of his native Provence.
Alongside Pagnol, Josette Day is still asleep. Marcel contemplates her tenderly. They have had a tumultuous affair for two years. The actress is his muse, the one who inspired him to play the character of Florence, the cornerstone of this three-part story that he intends to make. On the first page of the script, we can read the title of the trilogy: Prayer to the stars. On the following pages, Pagnol plunges us into his story:
“In Paris, during the interwar period, Florence was a young free and casual film actress. She allowed herself to be maintained without loving her by Dominique, the son of a wealthy industrialist from Lyon. But when Florence learned that Dominique has financed all the films in which she has obtained a role, she categorically refuses to marry him. Every evening, Florence addresses a prayer to the stars, cherishing the hope of making the romantic encounter that will change the course of her life. And a beautiful day, his path crosses that of Pierre, a disillusioned music composer. Together, the lovers flee the capital to live their love, hidden at the Hôtel des Calanques, in the South. “
“Silence is turned !” In the small fishing port of Cassis, while the cicadas do not stop singing, Marcel Pagnol finally takes the first shots of his film. In the field of the camera, we find the headliners: Josette Day, who put herself in Florence’s skin, and Pierre Blanchard, who lends her features to the character of Pierre. Florence, Dominique and Pierre. As for Marius, Fanny and César, each of the three parts of Pagnol’s new work will bear the names of its heroes.
A chaotic shoot
The shooting of the first film must be organized in two stages: we will first put in a box the sequences that take place in the South, then the entire team will pack up, direction Paris. A great first for Pagnol, who has never filmed the capital. But before immortalizing the Eiffel Tower, he must face a succession of unforeseen events. The whole team agrees, the port of Cassis, its pebble beaches and its creeks is the perfect backdrop.
The problem is that they are far from being the only ones to have detected the charm of the landscape. And yes, paid vacation has popularized vacations! Beach attendants flock to bask in the sun and forget the trauma of defeat for a moment. Pagnol sees red. No more shooting without an unexpected extra appearing in the field of the camera. The team has only to repackage the material to fall back on dead end Jean Mermoz, in Marseille, where the filmmaker has studios.
The specter of war
But in the summer of 1941, crowded beaches were far from being Pagnol’s only concern. For several months now, France has been living through dark times under the Occupation. And even in the free zone, the sound of German boots resonates. Because of Vichy’s anti-Jewish legislation, Pagnol’s assistant and his cinematographer are banned from working. While the Resistance is getting organized, some close to the director engage in the clandestine struggle. But this shooting with a small team is also threatened by electricity rationing, the shortage of wood, iron and paint used to build the sets, or the lack of fabric for the costumes.
And, to top it off, it’s the assault course to find good quality film. In these difficult times, they are rare and sell for a high price. In short, we turn as best we can. We record a few scenes between two beaks of Pagnol and Josette, whose relationship is failing. Not to mention the interruptions of filming for health problems which in turn lead Pagnol and his actors to white coats. Would this film be cursed?
The question torments all minds. The sequence of events unfortunately gives reason to those who affirm it. One morning, Marcel Pagnol sees one of the Continental’s henchmen disembark at the door of his Marseille studios. This film production company was created just after the debacle of 1940. It was Joseph Goebbels, the chief propagandist of the Third Reich, who initiated the project.
Thanks to the Continental, he intends to strengthen the German stranglehold on French cinema so that it becomes a tool to the glory of the Führer. Especially in these dark hours, the places of entertainment that are the cinemas are not empty. So, when Jean Mermoz impasse, the German visitor understands that something is going on in the studios, his face lights up with a deceptive smile.
Destruction of dandruff
In a threatening tone, he says that the company he represents would be delighted to distribute this new feature film. The proposal sounds like an order. Pagnol kicks in touch. It was out of the question for him to deliver his great project to the enemy. It is necessary to dodge without attracting the wrath of the boss of the Continental. He then affirms without flinching that the reels which contain the scenes already filmed are unusable. They will be destroyed, and the project abandoned.
The answer falls like a cleaver: the German wants to witness the destruction of dandruff. Pagnol is cornered. This trilogy was to be his masterpiece, but its development is only a succession of pitfalls. The next day, we see him installing a log in the studio courtyard and returning a few minutes later, an ax in his hand. Under the dumbfounded gaze of his teams, Pagnol destroys the reels of his film.
What if there were copies of Prayer to the stars ? What if Marcel Pagnol had simply wanted to deceive the enemy in a particularly successful production? After all, isn’t he a playwright? In fact, Pagnol didn’t lie. The films on which he had relentlessly beaten himself with an ax were quite unusable. He never wanted to give up shooting his film. But from now on, he will film clandestinely. This is his way of entering into resistance.
One last film before the novels
Except that it was without counting on the obstinacy of the Continental which quickly returns to the attack. Here she is, offering Pagnol a post of director. And again, we have to rack our brains: how can he express his refusal to collaborate without offending anyone? He pretends blindness. But the excuse also forced him to sell his studios and laboratories to Gaumont. This time, it is well and truly cooked. Death in the soul, Marcel Pagnol must be right. His audience will never be able to be moved by listening to his prayer to the stars:
“Stars, tell him I’m waiting for him. If he is learned, I will read all the books, if he is a sailor, I will know how to wait for him. And if he’s king, I’ll be queen. Stars, make me love her, only give her the patience to endure my great love. Because the only and noble wealth is not the love that one inspires, it is that which one has in the heart. Take this message to him tonight, and let him come tomorrow. “
After the end of the war, Marcel Pagnol will return behind the camera to direct Jacqueline Bouvier, the future Mrs. Pagnol, in her film Manon des Sources. Then he’ll hang up the director’s cap forever. But a writer is born from the ashes of the filmmaker. At the end of the 1950s, Marcel Pagnol started writing the Childhood memories. In The glory of my father, My mother’s castle and The Time of Secrets, the child of Aubagne, born under the Garlaban massif, tells of his Provencal youth. Even today, turning each page, we hear the singing accent of his unforgettable characters.
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