In 1990, Yves Robert directed the two films: "La Gloire de mon père" and "Le Château de ma mère" based on a screenplay by Louis Nucera and Jérôme Tonnerre.
Philippe Caubère and Nathalie Roussel play the parents of Marcel (Julien Ciamaca) and Paul (Victorien Delamare). Uncle Jules and Aunt Rose are played by Didier Pain and Thérèse Liotard.
Passages from the text of the original novel are narrated by Jean-Pierre Darras.
Grambois is used as the setting for the old village of La Treille.
The "Bastide Neuve" is located in the Pichauris domain in Allauch, in the heart of the Étoile and Garlaban massif.
The scenario
During his holidays in La Treille, Marcel experiences his first love feelings, not far from a castle, object of all the fears for his beloved mother, which he will acquire in her memory when he becomes a filmmaker.
The young Marcel laments having had to leave his beloved hills, a place of carefree holidays, to return to Marseilles and its studious schools.
During the dictation, his mind wanders. A summons to the headmaster's office takes him out of his daydreams: he has been chosen to take part in the scholarship competition.
Another surprise awaits him at home: the family is going to spend the Christmas holidays at La Treille.
For Marcel, the enchantment begins again.
First, he meets Lili again, then Uncle Jules pays them an unexpected visit, his arms full of presents.
A mark of attention much appreciated by Marcel's father, who is far from sharing his brother-in-law's opinions.
The next day, at his mother's request, the young boy leaves to fetch some thyme from the hills. He then meets a little girl, Isabelle, very cute but terribly snobbish...
Film and anecdotes
The castle evoked by the title is called Château de la Buzine. Marcel Pagnol claims that the owner of the place, at the time, was a certain "Count Jean de X... Colonel au Premier Cuirassier" who participated in the battle of Reichshoffen.
However, the castle actually belonged to a naval officer by the name of Felix Pallez.
In 1941, in order to achieve his ambition to build, under the Provence sky, the City of Cinema capable of competing with Hollywood, Pagnol acquired, by telephone and without having seen it, this castle with a few hectares of meadows along the canal.
It was when he visited his estate eight days later that he recognized that it was "the awful castle, the one my mother was afraid of".
He never managed to realize his project.
The house now belongs to the city of Marseille.
My mother's Château is the third biggest French box-office hit of 1990.
With nearly 4.3 million admissions, the film ranks just behind "Cyrano de Bergerac", 4.7 million and "La Gloire de mon père", 6.2 million. Yves Robert's two films, released two months apart, attracted more than 10.5 million admissions.
Taking advantage of this success in theaters, Marcel Pagnol's books have experienced an extraordinary revival of interest in paperback format.
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