Having gained fame as a playwright, Marcel Pagnol soon became intoxicated by the possibilities of sound cinema, a fascination that would ultimately lead him to create his own production studios, and to write, produce, and direct numerous films. He began his film career by adapting his own play to create MARIUS, the first in a Marseilles-set trilogy that would later include FANNY (also adapted from the stage-play) and CÉSAR (which was written directly for the screen). In MARIUS, César (Raimu) is a cafe owner whose son Marius (Pierre Fresnay) loves Fanny (Orane Demazis), the daughter of a fishmonger, but also longs to live the adventurous life of a sailor. Even though the young couple become lovers and plan to marry, Fanny realizes that she cannot hold Marius from his dreams.
