In this little Provencal village, a new baker, Aimable, settles down. His wife Aurelie is beautiful and much younger than he. She departs with a shepherd the night after Aimable produces his first breads. Aimable is so afflicted that he can not work anymore. Therefore, the villagers, who initially laughed at his cuckoldry, take the matter very seriously (they want the bread) and organize a plan to find Aurelie and to bring her back to the bakery.

Review:
I really liked this movie a lot--especially because it had such a great ensemble cast. This movie was absolutely stuffed to the brim with characters from this community to give the movie great life and charm. In particular, the acting by Raimu as the baker was dynamite. He is a one-namer (like "Cher") that looks like a slightly skinnier Oliver Hardy and manages to use a wide variety of facial expressions and body language to convey so much emotion. When his heart is broken by his philandering wife, you really find yourself feeling for the guy! Overall, it was extremely well-acted and well-written and I strongly recommend it. However, be forewarned that the videotape by Interama Video Classics is VERY poor quality AND they use white subtitles that are often very hard to read. I don't know why, but almost EVERY French film from the 1930s I have tried to watch on video is almost unwatchable due to the degradation of the print. I'm not sure why this is, but it could easily turn people away from classics like this movie, and that would be quite a loss, as Marcel Pagnol who wrote this film was a true artist and master of his medium.

Director: Marcel Pagnol
Writer: Jean Giono (novel)

Cast overview, first billed only:
Raimu ... Aimable Castanier
Ginette Leclerc ... Aurélie Castanier
Fernand Charpin ... Le marquis Castan de Venelles (as Charpin)
Robert Vattier ... Le curé
Charles Blavette ... Antonin
Robert Bassac ... L'instituteur
Marcel Maupi ... Barnabé (as Maupi)
Alida Rouffe ... Céleste, la bonne du curé
Odette Roger ... Miette, la femme d'Antonin
Yvette Fournier ... Hermine
Maximilienne ... Melle Angèle (as Maximilienne Max)
Charblay ... Arsène, le boucher
Julien Maffre ... Pétugue (as Maffre)
Adrien Legros ... Barthelemy
Jean Castan ... Esprit, un berger

Country:France
Language:French - no subtitles
Release Date:26 February 1940 (USA)
Also Known As:The Baker's Wife
Runtime: 127 min
Sound Mix:Mono
Color:Black and White