Marius et Jeannette (1997)

Marius et Jeannette is a French romantic film drama first released in 1997, directed by Robert Guédiguian.  The film stars Ariane Ascaride, Gérard Meylan, Pascale Roberts, Jacques Boudet and Frédérique Bonnal.  It has also been released under the title: Marius and Jeannette.  Our overall rating for this film is: excellent.


Jeannette is a single mother who is struggling to bring up her children on a meagre salary in Estaque, a working class district of Marseilles. When she tries to help herself to some paint at an abandoned cement works she is apprehended by a lame security guard, Marius.  Later, Marius makes Jeannette a present of the paint and helps to repaint her tiny ramshackle house.  The two people soon realise that they are deeply in love but their ensuing affair is compromised by their past misfortunes and present difficulties.  When Marius suddenly stops seeing her, Jeannette is deeply wounded by this latest upset and wonders if she will ever be happy again...

The film that earned director Robert Guédiguian his long overdue international recognition is this thoroughly beguiling social comedy which defies the usual cinematic clichés about romance and offers something that is genuinely fresh and life-affirming: a bittersweet portrait of two ordinary people falling in love.  The apparent banality of the subject is belied by the beneath-the-surface complexity of the characters involved and by Guédiguian’s unusual treatment of familiar themes.  Marius et Jeannette continues is a cycle of films that Guédiguian made in his early career, set in and around the poor region of Marseilles in which he grew up.  Whilst the tone and subject of these films vary substantially, from sombre introspection, to noir-like thriller and outright farce, they are unified by Guédiguian’s unique cinematic style, which combines social realism with a wry poetic sensibility.  The films explore human and social issues with a rare acuity and compassionate involvement, the characters are always true to life, convincingly portrayed by the director’s dedicated troupe of instantly likeable actors.

Marius et Jeannette is the film that best represents Guédiguian’s brand of cinema, and yet in some ways it his least typical work.  Far sunnier and light-hearted than the director’s previous films, it is much more interested in human feelings and relationships than political commentary. Guédiguian’s left-wing sympathies are far more noticeable in such films as Dernier été (1981) and À la vie, à la mort! (1995).  Marius et Jeannette is a far less politically motivated work - it vividly evokes the hardship and insecurity of those at the lower end of the social spectrum, but this is done to define character rather than to make a political statement.  The film also lacks the lingering aura of sombre melancholy than infects many of Guédiguian’s films - there are some dark moments here, but these are comparatively rare, just a few fleeting rain clouds in a sky of intense azure.  The mood that prevails is one of sunny optimism.  In essence, Marius et Jeannette is nothing more than an ode to love, a good-natured celebration of the most wonderful aspect of human experience.

Although Guédiguian’s assured writing and direction certainly plays its part, what most makes this his most humane and engaging film to date is an arresting performance from Ariane Ascaride, who brings to the part of Jeanette an extraordinary realism and emotional depth.  Guédiguian’s wife, Ascaride has graced all of his films and appears perfectly matched to his style of cinema and the working class milieu for which he has a particular affinity.  One of France’s great acting talents, she brings a subtly different perspective on femininity to each of her roles, invariably portraying strong women of rich complexity with a striking, often startling authenticity.  Ariane Ascaride was justly rewarded with the Best Actress César for her performance in Marius et Jeannette.  The film was nominated for six other Césars in 1997 (in categories which included Best Director and Best film) and won the coveted Prix Louis Delluc that year.   It remains one of Guédiguian’s most greatly admired and popular works, a vivid collage of life and love set in the sunniest quarter of Marseilles.

© James Travers 2010

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