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May 09, 2008
"Marius" : Korda's touch. (3/3)
« Marius » was a hit on stage, but still far from the big screen, though born under a benevolent star : with the advent of talking films, successful plays suddenly became a hot commodity for cinema producers.
Paramount was building studios in Saint-Maurice, near Paris, to supply Europe’s various linguistic markets with talkies and acquired the film rights to both « Marius » and « Topaze ».
« Marius » went into production first.
Three versions of the film would be shot in Saint-Maurice : French, German, Swedish ; the little « marseillaise » story would become an export good.
The French and German versions would be directed by Alexander Korda, a Hungarian-born director; the Swedish one by John W. Brunius.
Paramount had actors under long-term contracts, whom the US Major intended to use rather than the original cast for the French version of the film. Henri Garat would be Marius, Meg Lemonnier, Fanny, Victor Francen, Césat
Pagnol disagreed, Alexander Korda sided with him after watching the play.
After « Jean de la Lune », another Paramount film, based on Marchel Achard’s play, opened to success with its original stage cast of then big screen unknowns -which included Madeleine Renaud and Michel Simon-, Paramount agreed to transfer the full cast of « Marius » from stage to screen.
It was a major victory for Marcel Pagnol, who scored another, even more unlikely, one. He negotiated a share of the film profits and, in the process, earned the respect from the Saint-Maurice studio executives : US Majors may disregard authors, but never shrewd business men.
All would have been well without an unexpected casting glitch : Raimu was under an exclusive cinema contract with Les Films Braunberger-Richebé, the top French production company.
Roger Richebé was twenty eight and one more Marseillais in Paris, where his father had sent him to grow the production and distributions sides of the family company, which owned a chain of movie theatres in Southern France.
The Raimu issue seemed all the more difficult to resolve that, in Marseilles, Toulon, Nîmes, Aix-en-Provence, the Richebé and Paramount theatres were direct competitors.
It nevertheless was, in typically « marseillaise » fashion, directly between Marcel Pagnol and Roger Richebé : Raimu would star in « Marius » ; in all cities where both Richebé and Paramount theatres were present, the Richebé theatres would exhibit the film.
« Marius » shoot could start. Marcel Pagnol was named « premier superviseur » and allowed, even welcomed, by Korda on the set throughout principal photography : the director relied on the playwright to monitor the quality of the sound recording while he focused on the film visuals.
For each scene, Alexander Korda filmed the French version first, then, when he was satisfied, moved to the German one, then left the set to the Swedish team.
The choice of Alexander Korda to direct the French version of « Marius » had been met with the same scepticism and suspicions as the announcement that Pierre Fresnay would play Marius.
Like the actor, Alexander Korda quickly charmed Pagnol, Raimu and the rest of the team by his many talents as a director, storyteller, hard drinker and generally jolly good companion.
Alexander Korda had never been to Marseilles, but had lived in enough cosmopolitan cities, like Budapest or Berlin, to adjust quickly to the atmosphere of the place where his whole film took place and he would never set foot.
« Marius » was shot in fewer than five weeks, without ever leaving Saint-Maurice. Marseilles appeared only on the film programme : a view of Le Vieux Port -the older harbour- and Notre-Dame de la Garde -the cathedral church.
« Marius » was released in Paris in October 1931 and bested « Jean de la lune » box office records.
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