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"The beauty of this film is enough in itself to make it all worth while," a movie-viewing companion of mine said the last time I watched My Father's Glory. And, yes, she is certainly right; so seldom is a lush, scenic cinematography so wonderfully combined with a sentimentally poetic yet honest outlook on life. Based on the writings of Marcel Pagnol, we here learn of this renowned French author and director's childhood. The film opens with his birth, then focuses for approximately a half an hour on him as a tyke (Benoit Martin) of about four through six years of age; vignettes during this portion include curiosity about where babies come from, learning that adults fib just like kids do and the boy's prodigy-like obsession with reading. There is then a jump forward which places Marcel (Julian Ciamaca) at roughly eleven years old. Here, a "plot" begins to form, our young hero taking a trip into the Provence countryside with his family. Outside of having a number of adventures with his little brother (Victorien Delamare) and a local boy (Joris Molinus), Marcel begins to learn that his intelligent, educated father is not as omnipotent as he once thought, especially when it comes to a hunting match between the man and his brother in-law, the former much less skilled in practical things than the latter. Will Marcel lose all respect for his dad, become disillusioned with him, or is he to gain a new understanding, appreciation for his father? On my top "100 Great Films" list. Directed by Yves Robert; highly recommended! Followed by My Mother's Glory.

Warning (rated G): brief nudity; mild profanity.

1991; aka Le Gloire de mom pere; in French with English subtitles; 110 minutes; Julian Ciamaca, Benoit Martin, Victorien Delamare, Joris Molinus, Phillippe Caubere, Nathalie Roussel, Therese Liotard, Didier Pain.