''The Well-Digger's Daughter'' (french: La Fille du puisatier) is a 1940 French romantic comedy drama film directed by

Marcel Pagnol Marcel Paul Pagnol (; 28 February 1895 – 18 April 1974) was a French novelist, playwright, and filmmaker. Regarded as an auteur, in 1946, he became the first filmmaker elected to the Académie française. Although his work is less fashionabl ...

Plot

Patricia, a peasant, becomes pregnant by Jacques, a military pilot from a local family. As war breaks out, Jacques serves in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, but his family refuses to support his child and likewise, Patricia's father expels her from her home. Patricia stays with her aunt and gives birth to a boy. After Jacques is reported killed in the war, both families wish to meet their new grandchild. Jacques is not dead, however; he returns and Patricia agrees to marry him.

Selected cast

Raimu Jules Auguste Muraire (18 December 1883 – 20 September 1946), whose stage name was Raimu, was a French actor. He is most famous for playing César in the 'Marseilles trilogy' ('' Marius'', '' Fanny'' and '' César''). Life and career Born in T ...

as Pascal Amoretti *

Fernandel Fernand Joseph Désiré Contandin (8 May 1903 – 26 February 1971), better known as Fernandel, was a French actor and singer. Born near Marseille, France, to Désirée Bedouin and Denis Contandin, originating in Perosa Argentina, an Occitan t ...

as Félipe Rambert * Josette Day as Patricia Amoretti *

Line Noro Line Noro (22 February 1900 – 4 November 1985) was a French stage and film actress.Hayward p.172 During the 1930s she played glamorous, often exotic, women in films such as '' Pépé le Moko''. Between 1945 and 1966 Noro was a member of the Co ...

as Marie Mazel * Georges Grey as Jacques Mazel * Fernand Charpin as Monsieur Mazel *

Milly Mathis Milly Mathis (September 8, 1901 – March 30, 1965) was a French actress who appeared in more than 100 films during her career. Born on September 8, 1901, as Emilienne Pauline Tomasini in Marseilles, France, she made her film debut with a small, ...

as Nathalie * Clairette as Amanda Amoretti * Roberte Arnaud as Roberte Amoretti * Raymonde as Éléonore Amoretti

Reception

In the film's most famous scene, Patricia and Jacques' families and the rest of the village listen to

Philippe Pétain Henri Philippe Benoni Omer Pétain (24 April 1856 – 23 July 1951), commonly known as Philippe Pétain (, ) or Marshal Pétain (french: Maréchal Pétain), was a French general who attained the position of Marshal of France at the end of Worl ...

's speech of 17 June 1940 announcing the need for an

armistice An armistice is a formal agreement of warring parties to stop fighting. It is not necessarily the end of a war, as it may constitute only a cessation of hostilities while an attempt is made to negotiate a lasting peace. It is derived from the ...

in the Battle of France. Because of the scene ''La Fille du puisatier'' has been called the first "

Vichy Vichy (, ; ; oc, Vichèi, link=no, ) is a city in the Allier department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region of central France, in the historic province of Bourbonnais. It is a spa and resort town and in World War II was the capital of ...

film". Most of the filming occurred before Pétain's speech on the defeat of the

French Third Republic The French Third Republic (french: Troisième République, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 19 ...

, the scene with the speech was added later. French actor

Daniel Auteuil Daniel Auteuil (; born 24 January 1950) is a French actor and director who has appeared in a wide range of film genres, including period dramas, romantic comedies, and crime thrillers. In 1996 he won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Fest ...

wrote, directed, and starred in a remake of this film in 2011.

References

External links

* *
Trailer of the movie
1940 films 1940s romantic comedy-drama films French romantic comedy-drama films French black-and-white films 1940s French-language films Films directed by Marcel Pagnol Films set on the home front during World War II 1940 comedy films 1940 drama films 1940s French films French pregnancy films {{comedy-drama-film-stub