Le Château de Ma Mère ~ My Mother's Castle (1990) ***

Le Château de Ma Mère . . . something about French titles just gives me a shiver of pleasure. I love saying this title too. I picked this movie just because the title was cute and it was in French. I was going through a French stage.

According to Netflex:

This film based on the humorous best-selling memoirs of French novelist and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol highlights the alluring, magical country life of turn-of-the-century Provence. Young Marcel's mother longs for the tranquility of Bastide Neuve after spending a summer holiday there and encourages her family to make the 9-mile trek on foot. They try to shorten the journey by cutting across a private estate, which lands them in a bit of trouble.

Length:99 minutes
Director:
Yves Robert
Cast:
Philippe Caubere
Nathalie Roussel
Didier Pain
Therese Liotard
Julien Ciamaca
Victorien Delamare
Joris Molinas
Julie Timmerman
Paul Crauchet

This movie was very cute. The weekend trips to their cottage in the country side tells me that city people always want a getaway in the countryside, no matter which country. I say this because in Michigan, there are people who every weekend in the spring, summer, fall, do their best to go up "North" for the weekend. And they tried their darnedest to get out of work early on Friday and try any shortcut that no one else has found to get to their coveted cabin. It's rather amusing. I guess I don't have that mentality because I love being in my home. I try to make my home my refuge and retreat away from the world.

Then again, I live in a decent size ranch home with a full finished basement. So I have plenty of room to relax. Those in the city, it does get rather claustrophobic with their small flats. Anyway, this movie is from a boy's perspective of his trips out to the countryside. Each week, is an anxiety stricken trip to get through the shortcut and to the ultimate destination of their lovely cottage. While the trip is fun for the kids, the parents are nervous because they are trespassing. After doing it for so long, they get a bit relaxed and comfortable. Then they get caught and have to turn around when they are SO close to their destination and have to go all the way back and take the long way. This causes the mother much grief.

I found it highly entertaining. The ending where the young boy has grown up and actually purchased the property where the trespassing was forbidden was a nice closure. And of course, the grand property is Le Château de Ma Mère. I recommend watching this movie on a relaxing Sunday afternoon. One of the few non-tragic French movies that I have watched.