"Jean Giono's novel was in perfect unity with the ideas of Marcel Pagnol.... a simple story of the land and its people. A man, like the earth he lives on, will grow barren and desolate if left alone. A scissors-grinder and a woman pass by a town, deserted save one man, Panturle, who is decaying with the town. The woman stays with Panturle and together they bring new life to the land and with the birth of a child, their harvest is complete. "'...a film of utter serenity and great goodness, so reverently played and so compassionately directed that it is far less an entertainment work than it is a testament to the dignity of man and to his consonance with the spinning of the spheres.... Pagnol's cameras have delved the soil of Provence as understandingly as Giono's pages, winning for the film an atmospheric as well as thematic authenticity.' --Frank S. Nugent, New York Times." (Image Film Archives Note)