Honoré de Marseille (1956) - film review

Honoré is a popular figure in the town of Marseilles.  Interviewed by a journalist, he recounts the history of the town, and the important part his ancestors played over the years.  If Honoré is to be believed, it was his Greek descendent Protis who founded the town, and it was the Roman captain Honorius who invented the game of pétanque.  The only dark cloud in Honoré’s sunny life is his wife, Toinette, who resents his flirting with other women.  The final straw comes when Honoré has to present a beauty contest in which he must rig the outcome…

One of Fernandel’s better comic outings, Honoré de Marseille is tailor-made for the horse-faced comedian and gives him ample opportunity to regale us with his talent for no-nonsense, inoffensive comedy.  There are some very funny jokes, and a wonderful piece of slapstick with Francis Blanche.  A number of cheerful musical numbers sung by the film’s star also add greatly to the film’s appeal.  The film offers an attractive, deeply nostalgic portrait of Marseilles, capturing the beauty of the ancient seaport and the affable bonhomie of the people who live there.

© James Travers 2006

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