Sous le ciel de Provence (1956) - film review

Paul Verdier is a travelling salesman living in Marseilles.  One of the virtues of his job is that it gets him way from his bad-tempered wife and screaming children.  Whilst away on business, he meets a pregnant young woman, Marie, on a train.  She reveals that she is apprehensive about returning to her home village because she does not know who the father of her child is.  Paul agrees to pretend to be her child’s father and goes with her to her home.  For how long can he keep the truth from Marie’s parents?

This lesser-known Fernandel comedy is a respectable remake of the classic Italian 1943 film, Four Steps in the Clouds, set in the south of France.  The rich colour photography conveys the stereotypical view of Provence, reminding us (as does the plot) of Marcel Pagnol’s rural dramas of the 1930s and 1940s.  With a well-written script, which includes some sparkling dialogue, and some great comedy from comic genius Fernandel, this is an entertaining film.

© James Travers 2003

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