In turn-of-the-century France,
young Marcel dreams of the hills of Provence; he has fallen in love with that
country while his family was on holiday, but summer's end has forced his return
to life in Marseilles, which now seems stifling in contrast to the beautiful
open vistas of the hills. The sequel to My Father's Glory, My
Mother's Castle (Le château de ma mère) picks up exactly where the
first film leaves off; viewers who have not seen My Father's Glory
should hasten to see that fine film before picking up its second half. My
Father's Glory introduced us to Marcel as a baby and followed his life up
through the summer in which he and his family discovered the hills of Provence.
My Mother's Castle forms the other half of the story arc, first tracing
Marcel's life in detail over the next year, and then bringing us full circle to
Marcel as an adult, who has been narrating the story of his own life throughout
both films.
My Mother's Castle is in
a difficult position. It can stand on its own, but as it's clearly the
continuation of My Father's Glory, the events in My Mother's Castle
depend on the context provided by the earlier film in order to have their full
meaning to the viewer. Given the relationship between the two films, it's
inevitable that they be compared, and My Mother's Castle does come up as
slightly weaker than My Father's Glory. It's not quite as thematically
focused as the first film; though both are essentially a series of vignettes
following Marcel growing up, the events in My Mother's Castle seem to
have less underlying connection to them. Whereas in My Father's Glory
the countryside of Provence itself provided an essential element to the story,
in My Mother's Castle the events that take place in the country could
just as easily have taken place in the city of Marseilles as in the hills of
Provence. The various elements of the story seem oddly unconnected at times, as
with the budding relationship between Marcel and his young neighbor Isabelle,
which ends abruptly and seems almost out-of-place in the context of the rest of
the film.
My Mother's Castle does
have one very important element in common with My Father's Glory: the
outstanding performances of all the actors in the cast, from the young Marcel
(Julien Ciamaca), Lili (Joris Molinas), and Paul (Victorien Delamare), to
Augustine (Nathalie Roussel) and Joseph (Philippe Caubère). All the characters
are wonderfully real; they're also incredibly likeable and sympathetic
characters whom we care deeply about by the end of the film. Part of the reason,
in fact, that these characters have such an effect on the viewer is their
genuine humanity: these aren't movie stereotypes of "good people," but
believable human beings whom we could, if we were very lucky, have as our own
friends and family. In My Mother's Castle the focus shifts very slightly
to the character of Augustine, Marcel's mother, but I still found my favorite
of all the cast to be the character of Marcel's father, Joseph: funny,
intelligent, loving, he's also a person who grows and changes over the course
of the two films.
One of the interesting elements
of My Mother's Castle is that we get a slightly wider view of French
society at the turn of the century; this is a natural result of Marcel, the
protagonist, growing up and starting to become more aware of the larger context
of his life. For example, one of the main plot elements of My Mother's
Castle has to do with a problem that arises when Joseph and his family are
invited to take an illegal shortcut across privately-owned estates on the way
to their country home. As modern viewers, we can see that Joseph's dilemma is
clearly different than it would be for a modern-day person in the same
situation, but My Mother's Castle does an excellent job of setting
things up so that we, the viewers, can appreciate the problem that Joseph faces
in the context of the society of the time.
While My Father's Glory
is a wholeheartedly joyous film, My Mother's Castle takes on a more
somber tone. There is a clear sense of the love and happiness of Marcel's family,
and the joy they take in each other's company, yet we also feel the pressures
of the outside world: Marcel's scholarship exam and potential job insecurity
for Joseph are the two main intrusions into the domestic idyll during the main
course of the film. My Mother's Castle comes to an emotional peak in the
last few minutes of the story, and does so without theatrics, without
tear-jerking, without manipulative theme music; I was deeply moved by the final
scenes simply through the emotional connection with the characters that had
been formed over the course of the two movies. Perhaps this above all shows the
true power of the simple, yet masterful story that is told in My Father's
Glory and My Mother's Castle: it is a slice of a beautiful life with
people whom we can believe in and care about.
Video
My Mother's Castle is
presented in an attractive anamorphic widescreen image, preserving the film's
original 1.85:1 aspect ratio. The edge enhancement is fairly heavy in this
transfer, more so than in the first half of the diptych, My Father's Glory,
but otherwise the image looks good. Colors in particular are very attractive,
with warm, natural-looking tones in both indoor and outdoor shots.
Kudos should go to MGM World
Films for the decision to make the subtitles for My Mother's Castle
optional: viewers have the choice of English, French, Spanish, or no subtitles.
It's a pleasure to see a foreign-language film given the treatment it deserves:
an attractive anamorphic transfer and optional rather than burned-in subtitles.
Audio
The original French language
track for My Mother's Castle is presented in a pleasing Dolby 2.0
surround that offers an immersive audio experience. Dialogue is clear, the
music is kept nicely in balance with the other elements of the track, and the
assorted sounds of the environment are distinct. A dubbed English mono
soundtrack is also included, but I would suggest opting for the French and add
subtitles if necessary.
Extras
The only special feature on the
DVD is a trailer for the film. Viewers will be pleased to see that subtitles
are optional: there is a choice of no subtitles, French, English, and Spanish.
Final thoughts
If you loved My Father's
Glory, you will absolutely want to get My Mother's Castle; while
it's not quite as amazing as the first half of the story, it is an excellent
film in its own right, and it provides a satisfying conclusion to the story
that begins in My Father's Glory. For all viewers, I would say that this
is a pair of films that are definitely worth watching.
Buy: