This movie is a great adaptation of his book. Seeing this and all of the movies based on his books, I realized that I am a fan of his style of writing and stories. All of his books are based on Provence and its smaller towns. This movie is a wishful past of one's youth. One should not miss this.
It also shows how even seemingly trivial aspects (e.g. the need to walk for a very long time in order to reach the villa) could sometimes ruin one's experiences (even if a person is slightly reserved and an intellectual, he/she is very sensitive regarding the way he/she is viewed by neighbours and the community as a whole), but at the same encourages us to cherish the small things/mercies.
Btw, one small bit I didn't understand very well - the canal workers (the friends of Marcel's father) confront the caretaker of the final property and manage to convince him not to file a complaint against the teacher.
Why did they feel the need to lock him up and throw the key to his dog (so that the canine could swallow it). Didn't Marcel's father still need the key? Hope the mastiff was OK.