A waterfront waif, Fanny, loves the young Marius, but doesn't stand between him and his dream of going to sea. Once he leaves, however, she finds herself pregnant, setting the stage for a marriage of convenience with Panisse, an old businessman and the best friend of Marius' father, César. When Marius returns from sea years later, he fights to win back the family he never knew he had.

Although it received mixed reviews on its original release in 1961, Fanny has grown in popularity among director Joshua Logan's fans, many of whom have hailed it as his best film. The film's enduring romantic allure is partly due to the stunning setting, shot on location in the Marseille region of France, and the charismatic pairing of French actress Leslie Caron and German star Horst Buchholz, who were at the height of their international popularity.

Fanny marks the only on-screen pairing of the screen's most famous French lovers, Charles Boyer and Maurice Chevalier. Since the two lifelong friends had risen to stardom making different types of pictures -- Boyer in character-driven comedies and dramas and Chevalier in light-hearted musicals -- they were not able to work together until they started playing character roles.

Fanny helped Leslie Caron move into adult rules after her very popular, waif-like performances in Lili (1953) and Gigi (1958). It also pointed the way to her more mature work, particularly as the unwed mother in The L-Shaped Room (1962).

Fanny has become one of the most sought-after of Logan's films since it is not currently available on DVD. It usually turns up on cable in a pan-and-scan version that does not do justice to Jack Cardiff's Oscar®-nominated cinematography.

Producer-Director: Joshua Logan
Screenplay: Julius J. Epstein
From the play by Logan and S.N. Behrman, based on the play Fanny and the Marseilles Trilogy by Marcel Pagnol Cinematography: Jack Cardiff
Editing: William Reynolds
Art Direction: Rino Mondellini
Music: Harold Rome, Morris Stoloff, Harry Sukman
Cast: Leslie Caron (Fanny), Maurice Chevalier (Panisse), Charles Boyer (Cesar), Horst Buchholz (Marius), Salvatore Baccaloni (Escartifique), Lionel Jeffries (Monsier Brun), Victor Francen (Louis Panisse), Georgette Anys (Honorine).
C-133m.

by Frank Miller