César

Long available only on insufficient DVD transfers and in tattered prints, The Marseille Trilogy finally arrives on Blu-ray boasting a radiant image and a boatload of extras worthy of Marcel Pagnol's inimitable wit and style.

Pagnol gives the illusion of naturalism through the vivid energy and affection of his characters.

Pagnol's directed chapter happens to be one of the more visually innovative, utilizing swipe transitions and offering a bit more jaunty energy thanks to shifting locales.

The camerawork was primarily unobtrusive and the mise-en-scène as non-extravagant as possible. The audience was an eavesdropper, and might as well have been sitting at the kitchen table alongside the actors.