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A PROVENCE BIBLIOGRAPHY |
French TravelProvence Byways
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Videos and MapsThe first three movie listings are from works by Marcel Pagnol: "My Father’s Glory" and "My Mothers Castle," subtitles in English. These films were made in France by director Yves Robert in 1990 ("La Gloire de Mon Pere" and "Le Chateau de Ma Mere"). They are well done and good for two evenings of light family entertainment. The scenery is wonderful, much of it in the south Luberon. Scenes from Pagnol's childhhod village of La Treille were filmed in the south Luberon village of Grambois. "Jean de Florette" and "Manon of the Springs," subtitles in English. Also made in France ("Jean de Florette" and "Manon des Sources"), by director Claude Berri in 1986. These films, like the books, are darker than the ones above. We like "Jean de Florette" the best, but once you have seen one you will probably want to see the other. Most of the farm scenes in these films were shot in the country just inland from the coastal town of Bandol, east of Marseilles. The village scenes were filmed in the south Luberon village of Mirabeau. The trilogy "Marius," "Fanny," and "Cesar," subtitles in English. Made in France between 1931 and 1936. Pagnol wrote the first two of these as plays and then soon after adapted them for film. The third began life as a film. The trilogy is set in the Bar de la Marine in the Vieux Port of Marseilles and concerns the tribulations of the bar owner, Cesar, his son Marius, and the fishwife's daughter Fanny. These films are old and a bit creaky but they give a strong flavor of life on the docks in a long gone Marseilles, complete with genuine Provencal accents. They were filmed in Marseilles, at the Vieux Port and other locations. "Horseman on the Roof," based on the book by Jean Giono, subtitles in English. Made in 1996 in France. Like the book, this film is picaresque and full of coincidences, but it's also action packed and the performances of its two leading actors are compelling. The scenery is gorgeous and beautifully photographed, most of it in the northern, more isolated regions of Provence, although the roofs that the main character hides among are the roofs of the south Luberon village of Cucuron. MapsThe Michelin series is the standard. The yellow "Provence-Cote d’Azur" #245 shows all of the smallest backroads and is good for navigating in Provence. It is readily available at travel stores, or the Gallery Bookshop in Mendocino at (707) 937-2665 will mail you a copy. For prompt, personal service e-mail your order to Gallery Bookshop owner Tony Miksak. The Michelin Motoring Atlas of France. This is a great deal if you are going to be traveling in various regions in France. For $20 you get a book of very detailed maps of the whole country, on the same scale as the Michelin yellow series maps. Another good series of maps are the IGN maps of France from the Institut Geographic National. These maps come in several series, color coded by scale. The Blue Series is the most detailed, while the Red is the most inclusive. The Green is in between. All of these maps can be ordered via the Internet through map-guides.com. The Green Series map No. 67 covers the whole area of the Luberon. For more detailed trail and topographic information, you need to find the Blue series maps that cover the particular area you want to hike in. For the Lourmarin-Bonnieux-Buoux area maps Nos. 3142 E and 3242 O are the ones. Local Blue series maps are widely available in the bookstores and tabacs in the villages and towns of the Luberon. To continue in bibliography: |
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