Marcel Pagnol's celebrated films, Marius, Fanny and César, collectively known as The Fanny Trilogy, together comprise a richly human portrait of the inhabitants of the old port of Marseilles. Marius establishes the characters of César (portrayed by Raimu), the proprietor of the quayside Bar de la Marine; César's son Marius (Pierre Fresnay), who is torn between his love for the sea and his passion for Fanny (Orane Demazis), lovely daughter of a fishmonger; and Panisse (Charpin), the warmhearted sailmaker and contemporary of César.
French film historian Georges Sadoul writes: “Above all a playwright and theatrical producer...(Marcel Pagnol) brought to the French cinema in the thirties a robust realism, not far from populism, that contributed to the style in which Renoir's Toni (which he produced) is included. He had a special gift with actors, who most often came from the caf'conc' of Marseilles..... Although Marius was directed by Alexander Korda and Fanny by Marc Allégret, Marcel Pagnol himself is the true auteur of all three films.... Despite its peripatetic plot, this trilogy is far from being a simple melodrama. Its robust observation of the behavior of the ordinary people of Marseilles, unrivaled performances by actors trained by Pagnol, and brilliant use of the natural settings of Marseilles made it a world-wide success.”