''The Baker's Wife'' (french: La femme du boulanger) is a 1938 French drama film directed by

Marcel Pagnol Marcel Paul Pagnol (; 28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française. Although his work is less fashionable ...

. It is based on the novel '' Blue Boy'' by French author

Jean Giono Jean Giono (30 March 1895 – 8 October 1970) was a French writer who wrote works of fiction mostly set in the Provence region of France. First period Jean Giono was born to a family of modest means, his father a cobbler of Piedmontese descent a ...

and became the basis of the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

musical ''

The Baker's Wife ''The Baker's Wife'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and the book by Joseph Stein, based on the 1938 French film of the same name by Marcel Pagnol and Jean Giono. The musical premiered in the West End in 1989 for a short ...

''. It tells how the peace of a Provençal village is shattered when the baker's wife runs off with a handsome shepherd. In his despair, the baker becomes heartbroken and can no longer bake. The villagers organise themselves to bring the wife back to her husband and so regain their daily bread.

Plot

One summer night in an idyllic village in the south of France, the pretty young wife of the baker runs off with a handsome young shepherd. Finding her gone in the morning, the baker is devastated. He pretends she has had to go suddenly to her mother, but people are not fooled and their efforts at consoling him misfire. Going into Sunday

mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

, he is deeply upset at what seems an unfeeling sermon from the inexperienced young priest and heads for the café, where he gets publicly drunk on

pastis Pastis (; oc, Pastís, ; or ) is an anise-flavoured spirit and apéritif traditionally from France, typically containing less than 100 g/L sugar and 40–45% ABV (alcohol by volume). Origins Pastis was first commercialized by Paul Ricard in ...

. The marquis, who is the local landowner, and the schoolteacher take the situation in hand. Getting the baker to bed, with the support of the priest they call a public meeting to discuss solutions. Dividing the area into twelve sectors, twelve patrols mount an exhaustive search and one reports a sighting. She was seen by an angler in a glade with the shepherd, naked. The priest and the schoolteacher are chosen for the delicate task of persuading her to return. The shepherd makes off fast and the priest takes her to a quiet place, while the schoolteacher returns with the good news that she is found. After the priest has read her the story of

Jesus and the woman taken in adultery Jesus and the woman taken in adultery (or the ) is a passage (pericope) found in John 7:53– 8:11 of the New Testament. It has been the subject of much scholarly discussion. In the passage, Jesus was teaching in the Second Temple after com ...

, he forgives her and takes her home. Her first word to her husband is "Sorry" and he forgives her too, though he can't resist a few choice words about randy young shepherds who charm you, love you and leave you. Together they light the oven, so that the village will have bread in the morning.

Cast

Raimu Jules Auguste Muraire (18 December 1883 – 20 September 1946), whose stage name was Raimu, was a French actor. He is most famous for playing César in the 'Marseilles trilogy' ('' Marius'', '' Fanny'' and '' César''). Life and career Born in T ...

as Aimable, the baker *

Ginette Leclerc Ginette Leclerc (born Geneviève Lucie Menut; February 9, 1912 – January 2, 1992) was a French film actress. She appeared in nearly 90 films between 1932 and 1978. Her last TV appearance was in 1981. She was born in Ile-de-France, France ...

as Aurélie, the baker's wife *

Fernand Charpin Fernand Charpin (30 May 1887 – 6 November 1944) was a French actor. He is known for his role as Honoré Panisse in Marcel Pagnol's Marseille trilogy, beginning with '' Marius'' in 1931. Selected filmography * '' Marius'' (1931) * '' Fanny'' ( ...

as the Marquis *

Charles Moulin Charles Moulin (1909-1992) was a French film and television actor. Paietta p.68-69 Selected filmography * '' Aloha, le chant des îles'' (1937) * ''The Baker's Wife'' (1938) * ''Fort Dolorès'' (1939) * '' L'Arlésienne'' (1942) * '' Le soleil ...

as the Shepherd *

Robert Vattier Robert Vattier (2 October 1906 – 9 December 1982) was a French actor. He was the father of the comedic actress Bérangère Vattier. Selected filmography * '' Marius'' (1931) - Albert Brun * '' Fanny'' (1932) - Albert Brun * ''Vers l'abîme ...

as the Priest *

Charles Blavette Charles Blavette (24 June 1902 – 21 November 1967) was a French film actor. He appeared in 50 films between 1933 and 1966. Selected filmography * '' Jofroi'' (1934) - Antoine * ''Angèle'' (1934) - Tonin * ''Toni'' (1935) - Antonio Canov ...

as Antonin * Robert Bassac as the Schoolteacher *

Marcel Maupi Marcel Maupi, stage name of Marcel Louis Alexandre Barberin or Maupi, (6 November 1881, Marseille – 4 January 1949, Antibes) was a French actor. Selected filmography * ''Dance Hall'' (1931) * '' Marius'' (1931) * '' Fanny'' (1932) * '' The Iron ...

as Barnabé *

Alida Rouffe Alida Rouffe (1874–1949) was a French actress. Joséphine Marie Rouffe was born on 20 March 1874 in Bordeaux. Her father was mime artist Louis Rouffe (1849-1885). She spent most of her career on stage in the south of France, and like her ...

as Céleste * Odette Roger as Miette * Yvette Fournier as Hermine * Maximilienne as Angèle * Charblay as the Butcher * Julien Maffre as Pétugue * Adrien Legros as Barthélemy * Jean Castan as Esprit

Awards

National Board of Review Awards The National Board of Review of Motion Pictures is a non-profit organization of New York City area film enthusiasts. Its awards, which are announced in early December, are considered an early harbinger of the film awards season that culminat ...

(1940), ''Best Foreign Film'' *

(1940), ''Best Acting'' for

New York Film Critics Circle Awards The New York Film Critics Circle (NYFCC) is an American film critic organization founded in 1935 by Wanda Hale from the New York ''Daily News''. Its membership includes over 30 film critics from New York-based daily and weekly newspapers, magazi ...

(1940), ''Best Foreign Film''

Restoration

The film was restored by the company Hiventy, in full 4K, from the negative 35mm nitrate original, supervised by the filmmaker's grandson Nicolas Pagnol and

Guillaume Schiffman Guillaume Schiffman is a French cinematographer who is known for the films he has made with director Michel Hazanavicius, including '' OSS 117: Cairo, Nest of Spies'' in 2006 and '' OSS 117: Lost in Rio'' in 2009. Schiffman is particularly know ...

. There is a Region B blu-ray edition available.

References

External links

* * *
''The Baker’s Wife: Bread, Love, and a Trophy Wife''
an essay by

Ginette Vincendeau Ginette Vincendeau (born 1948) is a French-born British-based academic who is a professor of film studies at King's College London. Early life and education Vincendeau was educated at the Lycée Lamartine and Lycée Sophie Germain in Paris, ...

at the

Criterion Collection The Criterion Collection, Inc. (or simply Criterion) is an American home-video distribution company that focuses on licensing, restoring and distributing "important classic and contemporary films." Criterion serves film and media scholars, cinep ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bakers Wife 1938 films French black-and-white films 1938 comedy-drama films Films based on French novels Films based on works by Jean Giono Films directed by Marcel Pagnol 1930s French-language films French comedy-drama films 1930s French films