“Topaze remains a little masterpiece of stinging irony and vengeful humor” (Franc Tireur). In 1929 Pagnol's play Topaze was one of the most successful French stage productions ever. A Hollywood adaptation with John Barrymore and Myrna Loy was memorable in its American way but this version with Louis Jouvet (who played the role on stage) and Edwige Feuillère is far closer to the original. The delightfully cynical satire chronicles the metamorphosis of a timid, persecuted, not too clever schoolteacher whose lessons emphasize ethics and morality, into a dishonest but decidedly more confident individual when he is thrust into a crooked business scheme. Topaze was filmed again in 1951, this time with Pagnol at the helm and Fernandel in the title role.