THE BAKER’S WIFE

(1938, Marcel Pagnol) When Provençal village baker Raimu’s young wife scampers off with a handsome shepherd, out come the knowing smirks at the cuckold; but when his resulting depression causes a NO BREAD! hiatus, it’s time for the whole village to get her back. For Orson Welles, Raimu was “the greatest actor.” Approx 133 min. 35mm.

REVIEWS

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“Bursting with bucolic vigour and sly satirical wit.”
– Time Out (London)

“So authentic that it seems over far too soon.”
– Graham Greene

“A charming film by Marcel Pagnol that somehow aroused the censors' ire back in the innocent days of 1938... it still manages to deliver its share of chuckles."
– Don Druker, Chicago Reader

"It is this undercurrent of tragedy, this steadfast air of dignity that is at once the secret of his [Raimu] funniest scenes, the quality that prevents his film from toppling into farce and makes The Baker's Wife a true comedy and a delightful one."
– Frank S. Nuggent, New York Times