With Le Temps des Secrets, Christophe Barratier attempts to resurrect the work of Marcel Pagnol [critique]

The third volume of Memories of Marcel Pagnol will be broadcast this Thursday evening on France 3.

More than thirty years after the release of The Glory of my Father And My mother's castle in the cinema in 1990, adapted from the works of Marcel Pagnol by Yves Robertlittle Marcel found his parents in spring 2022. With The Time of Secrets, Christophe Barratier (The Choirs) takes over to complete the quadrilogy of Childhood memories by the famous French author. Here is its trailer:

The Chorists: a half-miracle happens [critique]

Taking place in July 1905, well after the holidays of the first two volumes recounting his childhood, The Time of Secrets begins in Marseille, during the summer holidays. The young Marcel Pagnol has just completed his primary studies. In three months, he will enter high school. Three months, which is an eternity when you're that age. Because it's vacation time, the real ones, the big ones! Child of the city, this long-awaited return to his beloved hills of Aubagne and Allauch, those of The Glory of my Father And My mother's castle transports him with happiness. There he finds nature, the great outdoors and above all his friend Lili, always ready to share new adventures, at the age when the time of carefreeness gives way to that of secrets.

In this adaptation, Christophe Barratier reconnects with the work of Pagnol to offer an image of the beginning of his adolescence, with Leo Campion in the role of Marcel, after Julien Ciamaca in the two films by Yves Robert. Young Leo is surrounded by William of Tonquédec in the role of his father and François-Xavier Demaison in that of his uncle Jules. Augustine and her sister Rose are played by Melanie Doutey And Anne Charier.

What is this new adaptation of Pagnol's work worth? When it came out, the editorial staff was a little disappointed, despite a striking reconstruction of France at the start of the 20th century. Here is our review:

Thirty-two years after the beetle The Glory of my Father/My mother's castle by Yves Robert, Christophe Barratier (The Choirs) tackles the third volume of Childhood memories by Pagnol. The Time of Secrets takes place in the hills of Garlaban in the summer of 1905, when young Marcel was leaving his primary studies. Three months of vacation to return to nature and share new adventures… Barratier tries to shake up the formula a little by taking a few liberties with the text and we marvel at the reconstruction of the era. But it suffers severely from the emotional side, despite a generous casting (Guillaume De Tonquédec, Mélanie Doutey and François-Xavier Demaison). The film would certainly have benefited from sharpening its point of view on Pagnol's work.

The Glory of My Father, from Marcel Pagnol to Yves Robert