My Mother's Castle

"Return to childhood in Provence."

1990 1h 39m FR

👍

7.2

SOLID

★7.2TMDB · 310

AdventureComedyDramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

To his chagrin, young Marcel Pagnol and his family move back to their home in Marseille, France, far from their pastoral holiday cottage in the hills. Determined, Marcel makes the long voyage back to the cottage on foot and lands himself in trouble. One day Marcel's father discovers a shortcut to the cottage, but it requires trespassing. Despite their trepidations, Marcel and his family begin using the secret trail to reach their cottage.

“Return to childhood in Provence.”

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Cast

Philippe Caubère
Joseph Pagnol
Nathalie Roussel
Augustine Pagnol
Didier Pain
Uncle Jules
Thérèse Liotard
Aunt Rose
Julien Ciamaca
Marcel Pagnol
Victorien Delamare
Paul Pagnol
Joris Molinas
Lili des Bellons
Pierre Maguelon
François, father of Lili

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Yves Robert
Writers: Jérôme Tonnerre, Yves Robert
Languages: French, Occitan
Countries: France

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

ERA

Did you know

36 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, Occitan.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Pagnol, Childhood's Memories Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Yves Robert, shot by Robert Alazraki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Vladimir Cosma. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Pierre Gillette shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Philippe Caubère and Nathalie Roussel and Didier Pain carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Return to childhood in Provence.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Yves Robert directs. Robert Alazraki behind the camera. Vladimir Cosma scores. Pierre Gillette cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France. Dialogue in French, Occitan.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

136 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
2Dialogue crosses 2 languages: French, Occitan.
3Part of the "Pagnol, Childhood's Memories Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by Yves Robert, shot by Robert Alazraki. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Vladimir Cosma. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Pierre Gillette shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Philippe Caubère and Nathalie Roussel and Didier Pain carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "Return to childhood in Provence.".
9IMDB entry: tt0099266 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert Alazraki
Original score: Vladimir Cosma
Editing: Pierre Gillette
Production design: Jacques Dugied
Costume design: Agnès Nègre
Makeup / hair: Maryse Félix
Runtime: 99 min · 1h 39m
Status: Released
Original language: FR
IMDB: My Mother's Castle (1990)

Part of

Pagnol, Childhood's Memories Collection

A young boy's life in turn-of-the-century France. Marcel, witnesses the success of his teacher father, as well as the success of his arrogant Uncle Jules. Marcel and family spend their summer vacation in a cottage in Provence, and Marcel befriends a local boy who teaches him the secrets of the hills in Provence.