A Magnificent Life

"His story is that of cinema."

2025 1h 31m FR

👍

7.1

SOLID

🍅

61%

FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

6.7

IMDB

★7.1TMDB · 23🍅61%Rotten Tomatoes●60Metacritic★6.7IMDB · 752

AnimationHistoryDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1955, 60-year-old Marcel Pagnol is a well-known and acclaimed playwright and filmmaker. When the editor-in-chief of ELLE magazine commissions a weekly column about Pagnol's childhood, he sees this as a great opportunity to go back to his artistic roots: writing. Realizing his memory is failing him and deeply affected by the disappointing results of his last two plays, Pagnol starts doubting his ability to pursue his work. That is until Little Marcel - the young boy he used to be - appears to him as if by magic. Together, they will explore Marcel Pagnol's incredible life and bring back to life his most cherished encounters and memories...

“His story is that of cinema.”

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Cast

Laurent Lafitte
Marcel Pagnol (Adult) (voice)
Géraldine Pailhas
Augustine Pagnol (voice)
Thierry Garcia
Raimu (voice)
Olivia Gotanègre
Jacqueline Pagnol (voice)
Sophie Maréchal
Simone Pagnol (voice)
Vincent Fernandel
Fernandel (voice)
Noa Staes
Pagnol Child (voice)
Martin Meersman
Pupil 1: Class 1922 (voice)

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Sylvain Chomet
Writers: Sylvain Chomet, Sylvain Chomet
Languages: German, French, English
Countries: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, United States of America

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

Released last year.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, French, English.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

WORLD

Did you know

International production across 4 countries: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, United States of America.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Sylvain Chomet, shot by Elric Lefeuvre. 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 Stefano Bollani. 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 Samuel Denou 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

Laurent Lafitte and Géraldine Pailhas and Thierry Garcia carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "His story is that of cinema.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Sylvain Chomet directs. Elric Lefeuvre behind the camera. Stefano Bollani scores. Samuel Denou cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in France, Belgium, Luxembourg, United States of America. Dialogue in German, French, English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released last year.
2Dialogue crosses 3 languages: German, French, English.
3International production across 4 countries: France, Belgium, Luxembourg, United States of America.
4Directed by Sylvain Chomet, shot by Elric Lefeuvre. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Original score by Stefano Bollani. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
6Editor Samuel Denou shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
7Laurent Lafitte and Géraldine Pailhas and Thierry Garcia carry the top of the cast.
8Marketing tagline: "His story is that of cinema.".
9IMDB entry: tt13968662 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
10Only 23 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
11Classified under 16 themes, including "france", "europe", "memory", "playwright".