Alice Waters to introduce restored ‘Fanny’ trilogy

Marius (Pierre Fresnay) and Fanny (Orane Demazis) in "Cesar" (1936), directed by Marcel Pagnol. Marius (Pierre Fresnay) and Fanny (Orane Demazis) in "Cesar" (1936), directed by Marcel Pagnol. Photo: BAMPFA, Janus Films 1936 Photo: BAMPFA, Janus Films 1936 Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Alice Waters to introduce restored ‘Fanny’ trilogy 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The restoration of Marcel Pagnol’s “Fanny” trilogy (1931-36), which celebrates village life in southern France, pleases no one more than Berkeley chef and author Alice Waters, who will introduce each of the films this week at the Berkeley Art Museum’s Pacific Film Archive.

“I first watched ‘Marius,’ ‘Fanny’ and ‘César’ in 1970, when the old movie film had degraded to the point that you could barely make out the words of the subtitles,” Waters said, “but the message shone through anyway. I was so profoundly affected by the films that I named my restaurant Chez Panisse (after a character), and years later, named my daughter Fanny....

“More than ever now, they shimmer with beauty and pathos, humor and heartache, conviviality and love — their values are timeless, powerful and deeply relevant to our modern lives.”

— G. Allen Johnson

The Fanny Trilogy: “Marius.” 3:45 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 28. “Fanny.” 3:45 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 29. “César.” 3:45 p.m. Friday, Dec. 30. $12. Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, 2155 Center St., Berkeley. (510) 642-0808. www.bampfa.berkeley.edu