My Mother's Castle

Amazon.com

The second part of Yves Robert's filming of Marcel Pagnol's childhood memoirs completes the narrative so casually begun in My Father's Glory--and fulfills a radiant journey we hadn't even realized we'd embarked on. Marcel is approaching his teens and acquiring a more coherent sense of the world. Accordingly, My Mother's Castle boasts a more concentrated style and unspools its story over (mostly) the space of one year, as opposed to a dozen. Whereas in the first film Robert had worked entirely with little-known players who simply became Marcel's family, here he calls upon screen veterans Jean Rochefort, Jean Carmet, and Georges Wilson to flesh out sharply ironical figures who loom challengingly on the young man's horizon. Consistent with Pagnol's emphasis on Provençal locations, the focal event of the film becomes the weekly walk the Marseilles-based family makes from the trolley station to their remote country cottage--a quintessentially mundane ritual that comes to be fraught with wonder, delight, and terror. It all leads to a payoff that opens the meaning of the title only as the film is reaching its transcendent conclusion. --Richard T. Jameson

Customer Reviews:

a beautiful and heartfelt sequel to LA GLOIRE DE MON PERE (MY FATHER'S GLORY)..............2007-09-14

I first saw this sequel many years ago in French class and it was probably one of the most beautiful pieces of poetry set to film that I had ever seen. For those of you unfamiliar with the first in this two part film series, I really reccomend that you watch LA GLOIRE DE MON PERE (MY FATHER'S GLORY) before seeing LE CHATEAU DE MA MERE (MY MOTHER'S CASTLE). This second part is based on the teen years of writer Marcel Pagnol and some of the most profound memories he had from that time of his life. It follows him, his family and the people who cross his path along the way. We see the triumphs and the tragedies and all incidents are depicted with grace and beauty (even when they are the most painful to watch). Everything from the separation that occurs between parent and child to childhood crushes are shown in a very natural and believable way. What's more, the cinematography just makes the scenes soar. Some of the sequences appear as if out of a luscious landscape painting. Whether you are a Francophile or someone new to foreign film, I highly reccomend this.

Very Appealing.......2007-09-09

This was the follow-up to "My Father's Glory." That film probably better known but I much prefer this second film. To me, this one is far more appealing.

The scenery, the color, the sweet, beautiful face of Nathalie Roussel and the gentle tone of the film all make it a winner. The French countryside pictured here is beautiful as we watch a family make trips through various gates en route to their destination. Some of it actually gets suspenseful. It's a very simple story but nicely. The pre-teen romance is a bit distracting but it doesn't go on long.

The movie features good storytelling and I never get tired of the pleasing visuals. As mentioned, this story has a lot of appeal.

Loved it.......2007-05-24

A very unusual story full of warmth and humor and character growth and beautiful images of the Provence countryside. The sudden sadness of the ending is softened by the best performance ever by an actor shot only from the back. Very innovative, very touching, hauntingly lovely.

Time magazine described as "rapture" - which it very much is -.......2007-04-23

lovely, touching, charming - portraying the (realistically) idyllic and simple childhood we all wish we had - in a beautiful, beautiful setting. the luxury is in the ordinary and the everyday - a slow way of living and being together with others, gathered around a table. this film is uplifting and healing and comforting to watch. "It's A Wonderful Life" - a wonderful life that is within the reach of all of us. it IS preferable to see this AFTER seeing My Father's Glory. Every young family would love to watch this together -

A movie that should be in everyone's library........2007-02-12

I never tire of seeing this movie. This is a movie that I see again and again
every few years. I always see it back to back with My Father's Glory.

Frankly, the best thing about the French are their classic FAMILY movies.

Le chateau de ma mere / La gloire de mon pere (Original French ONLY Version- No English Options)

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Le chateau de ma mere / La gloire de mon pere (Original French ONLY Version- No English Options)

ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0009WJ7YE

Product Description

- LE CHÂTEAU DE MA MÈRE (98 MINUTES) - LA GLOIRE DE MON PÈRE (110 MINUTES)

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My Mother's Castle [Region 2]
Starring: Philippe Caubère , Nathalie Roussel , Didier Pain , Thérèse Liotard , and Julien Ciamaca
Director: Yves Robert
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00004VYB5

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