MovieChat Forums > Fanny (1961) Discussion > Fanny and Marius

Fanny and Marius

posted 15 years ago by Forlorn_Rage
9 replies | jump to latest

*SPOILERS*

I doubt Fanny ever loved Panisse passionately like she loved Marius in her youth, but by the end of the movie, she had grown older and wiser, so can't love as she did in her youth.

Also considering that she had a wonderful family life with Panisse and Cesario and got used to being without Marius, it's not a stretch to say that Fanny outgrew her youthful passions for Marius.

Even though Panisse was dying and was paving the way for Marius and Fanny, Marius would have had a hard time with his "family" considering that he would have to accept that another man has claimed the family he left behind and he would be seen as just a "replacement" since he is not recognized as the patriarch and sole support of his family. So I doubt Marius will ever be happy afterwards.

So do you think Fanny's love for Panisse eventually grew to outweigh whatever feelings she had left for Marius by the end of the movie?
More importantly, do you think Fanny and Marius will be able to live together happily?

I know it's just a movie, but it's fun to think about the possibilities.

[–] BobStage 14 years ago

Well, they both hurt each other very much. Marius is doomed to live a ghost of a life he should have had thanks to Fanny's misleading test of faith, while Fanny was left alone by Marius' departure and forced to marry a man she did not love.

It's brilliantly described near the end, where Fanny tells Marius' father, "Leave him his bitterness, we took everything else from him." Even though she was heartbroken by his departure, she has a son, a family, and a life much more wholesome than Marius'.

Based on what's given at the end, I think Marius and Fanny may find some kind of return to the love they felt for each other.

[–] Forlorn_Rage 14 years ago

The understanding that Fanny eventually developed for Marius regarding "Leave him his bitterness..." struck me more as pity than love.

I keep comparing this newly matured Fanny to the recently married Fanny back when Marius first visited her. The cold attitude she showed him and pretty much told him that she and the child were better off with Panisse after Marius departure.

She seemed determined to take her "revenge" on him then, but not in the end. Sure the need for vengeance must have faded over the years, but does that mean her love and passion died with her bitterness as well?

And most important of all, when Fanny told Panisse at the end "I love you..." A new love, perhaps? Or love out of gratitude for his warmth and generousity?...

Don't get me wrong, I hope you are right about Marius and Fanny's love reurning to each other- they're great together! Just that mentally I have doubts. =(

I wish they did a little more with Fanny and Marius toward the end rather than leaving the movie off with Marius and Cesario playing together.

[–] cruzlexie 13 years ago

Well, it would have been a bit inappropriate to have something more with Fanny and Marius at the end, seeing how her husband is dying. I do think they find love once again but I think that Marius would do something to prove himself worthy of her, in my mind he would still feel uneasy in her presence and he would have to prove he is a great man like Panisse was. I think the love Fanny had for her husband wasn't passionate but rather a love that was born of out gratitude and is a bit more mellow compared to the one she had with Marius, her first love would be the love of her life but her marriage with Panisse taught her maturity. I think Fanny in the end became slightly cold but because she had to put her love for Marius on the backburner. Now that they are able to marry..it wouldn't be a sudden love affair but would have to take some time.

[–] npaxton-3 13 years ago

Near the end of the film Panisse writes a letter stating that he wants Fanny and Marius to be together after he dies. He just asks if the boy can keep his(Panisse's) last name. Marius' father says of course he can and adds that because of what you've done (ie stating in the letter his acceptance of Marius and Fanny's love), there will be others - meaning more children with Marius' and Cesar's last name. Presumably, Cesar knows that Fanny and Marius will be together. Fanny says she loves Panisse because of this final act of love to her.

[–] veryape 13 years ago

I love this film...Fanny, Marius, Panisse, Cesar...even the fringe characters are great. All except for the one i think they call "The Admiral"?

For me, this film is more about what is said when it is said, the scenery, the beautiful actors. The story itself lacks clarity and continuity.

To start...why the *beep* is Marius so drawn to the sea? Why does he want to go so bad when he has the love of his life right there at home?

I'll insert here my admission that i did not read the book. Perhaps the book better explains the reasons why people in this film behave the way they do.

Now...while i COULD understand that Marius is a young dude, wants to go out and discover the world, abandon his roots and see if he can make a life for himself. I did, too...i think we can all identify with that. However, in reality, i think we can all agree that if there is someone we love in the "neighborhood" we are usually a lot more satisfied with life where we are. Marius was 18. He had, what we are supposed to believe, "the love of his life" right there in town. If this was a story about love undying, wouldn't he have given up on his quest to go asea?

And again, where did he get this incredible desire to go to sea? Was it that crazy Admiral guy? And if it WAS the crazy Admiral guy, why did he listen to him? If he was the smart, young man we are to believe, why does he listen to some crazy person about it? For me, there is a HUGE disconnect between Marius and the crazy Admiral. It doesn't make sense for a sane, young man who is in love to take the advice of some crazy old *beep*.

And while ON that note, what is the Admiral's motivation for talking Marius into going on that boat?! He admits that he himself never went to sea...and his story is that he has been sorry all his life that he didn't. But why would Marius believe that crazy Admiral would have been any less crazy if he went to sea when he was younger? The whole relationship between Marius and the Admiral is like someone threw a hammer into an apple pie. I wish Marius had some other motivation for going away, because the one that is given is...dumb.

And then there is the child of Marius and Fanny. Why the hell is he somehow so interested in Marius? And why does HE now want to go to sea? There is no reason for a kid his age to have those interests, those desires.

Leslie Caron is the main reason why i watched... But the actors, ALL did a great job. But for the reasons/problems i stated above, makes this movie not my favorite.

I will say one more thing. Panisse's character made me think about my own self. He was a kind man, an unselfish man. It makes me think that perhaps i can be someone like him. He made me rethink...that being selfish, mean, etc., does not make you happy. Of course, he was a rich man...and being rich gives you many more options about how to behave.

[–] PoppyTransfusion 11 years ago

I don't think it does to dwell on the motivations of the characters because aside from Fanny and Panisse we don't gain much insight into them. For a young man who lives in a small port where life is unchanging the sea and its changing traffic must seem tempting in terms of offering more excitement in life. The admiral had filled Marius's head with stories of the wonderful and exotic that were to be found on the sea and he believed them. Also some people are really drawn to water, much more so than others. To be a sailor may have been in his bllod.

Speaking of blood ... it runs thicker than water. Cesario is his father's son in more ways than biology. He lives an afluent and contented life but like his father is drawn to the port and the opportunities it offers. He lives surrounded by much older people and a young man (dashing too!) who has been to places he probably cannot even spell is the object of his infatuation.

Fatima had a fetish for a wiggle in her scoot

[–] PoppyTransfusion 11 years ago

If Fanny and Marius were to try and rekindle their relationship it wouldn't be as passionate or innocent and they would both have to work hard to resolve their respective bitternesses. It didn't look as though either had outgrown, as is lost, the feelings they had for the other but with those feelings come others now based on their life experiences as well as their disappointment with one another.

For the sake of Cesario it would have been good for them to try but that invites complications too as he thinks Panisse is his father ...

Fatima had a fetish for a wiggle in her scoot

[–] ModernAudrey 10 years ago

I think my main problem with this movie is that I had difficulty accepting Marius and Fanny as an example of true love in the first place. Young people with youthful affections, perhaps, but I saw nothing to indicate a deep, meaningful love that could transcend all of the obstacles presented and be happy together following the end of the movie. I found Marius to be a rather immature and unlikable character in general, though, so I will freely admit my bias. At any rate, I have my doubts that the mature Fanny at the end of the movie could ever find happiness with the still childish Marius. Beyond the fact that she has outgrown him in terms of maturity, I suspect that as soon as they had any type of disagreement Marius would instantly turn petulant and start attempting to make her feel guilty about her about her marriage to Panisse, and how it caused all of their problems in the first place.

[–] mdonln 9 years ago

Forlorn_Rage says > I know it's just a movie, but it's fun to think about the possibilities.

I agree!

do you think Fanny's love for Panisse eventually grew to outweigh whatever feelings she had left for Marius by the end of the movie?

No, the two relationships can't compare. What Fanny feels for Panisse is love but it's on par with what one would feel for a doting grandfather. He rescued her from a desperate situation and changed the trajectory of her son's entire life. It's gratitude.

What she feels for Marius is romantic, passionate love. She's loved him since she was a child and, except for one night of passion, they've never gotten a chance to experience or express that love. She's tried to push him away and has kept all her emotions bottled inside but her feelings for him have never faded. Every day she's reminded of Marius when she looks at their son. His very existence, after all, is a manifestation of their love.

do you think Fanny and Marius will be able to live together happily?

Fanny and Marius both made mistakes in their youth. Fanny played games, tried to make Marius jealous and wasn't honest about her feelings for him. Marius was too quick to react and often behaved childishly, on impulse. Those behaviors led them to where they are but it’s not clear they’ve learned their lesson.

Fanny is still quick to play the martyr and Marius is still prone to running away. They're both stubborn and proud but I doubt even they, or the people around them, will allow them to make the same mistake twice. All the things that once kept them apart have started to fall away. If they can learn to be honest, open up, and be vulnerable with each other, they’ll be fine.

Initially, they'll come together for the sake of their son. He'll need a father and he happens to have one. Eventually, Fanny, Marius, Cesario, Honorine, Cesar, and their future children will be one big happy family.