I wrote the role of your life

Summary

To read his film correspondence is to cross several eras where the small story always rubs shoulders with the big one, it is to discover the true meaning of friendship with the faithful of the first hour (Henri Jeanson), the comrades that one finds around a bouillabaisse in Saint-Tropez (René Clair), in Bandol (Raimu), in Carry-le-Rouet (Fernandel), or the peers that one frequents in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat (Jean Cocteau).

His letters reveal bitter negotiations, academic intrigues, homeric outbursts, followed by almost amorous reconciliations, expressions of support when the critics are cruel, or simply exchanges on a particular scenario, a particular cast, or a particular shooting material.

And then, there is America which holds out its arms: Charles Boyer and Maurice Chevalier dream of bringing Marcel to Hollywood so he can meet all those who admire him, from John Huston to Cary Grant, from Preston Sturges to William Wyler. Through these letters unearthed from oblivion and presented by Nicolas Pagnol, Marcel’s grandson, a whole life of cinema unfolds before our eyes, with a verve and authenticity that time has in no way tarnished.