^{Credit: A Magnificent Life (Sony Pictures Classics)}

A Magnificent Life shares a few parallels to Sylvain Chomet’s previous animated feature, The Illusionist. Both are tributes to real-life directors, with Paris providing a major background. There still isn’t another animator working today who sketches Paris with more personality than Chomet. While A Magnificent Life is another feast for the eyes, it’s a far more dialogue-heavy film than The Illusionist. In general, Chomet’s films have always leaned into visual storytelling, from shorts like The Old Lady and the Pigeons to his first feature, The Triplets of Belleville.

Chomet’s minimal use of dialogue made him an ideal choice to channel filmmaker Jacques Tati in The Illusionist. The two share a Chaplin charm that can enthrall the audience even if the sound is off. Chomet may seem like an unusual candidate to tell Marcel Pagnol’s life story. Starting as an English teacher, Pagnol became a playwright after moving to Paris. While Pagnol initially wrote off cinema as a lesser art form, he had a change of heart with the rise of talkies. With dialogue being so integral to his work, it makes sense for this biopic to reflect that. Is Chomet the right person to tell his story, though?

Surprisingly, there’s a liveliness to Chomet’s screenplay that captures Pagnol’s spirit. Even when characters are just sitting at a table, it’s highly satisfying listening to Pagnol talk about his craft and passion for writing. That said, the characters don’t merely spend the whole movie sitting around, talking. A Magnificent Life takes advantage of being animated, with Chomet’s signature artistry bringing vibrancy to even the most subtle of gestures. Chomet also injects magical realism into the story as an elderly Pagnol is visited by his younger self and other ghosts of his past. This prevents A Magnificent Life from becoming another standard biopic, although Chomet may’ve bit off more than he can chew. 

While the film balances dialogue and visuals well, it’s only 90 minutes, which is hardly enough to encompass someone’s entire life. Chomet has a knack for telling simple stories in a relatively short amount of time. Although A Magnificent Life is Chomet’s longest animated feature to date, it could’ve used at least another half-hour to let certain moments breathe. To give you an idea of how rushed the film can be, World War II lasts only about 12 minutes. The final act, in particular, speed runs through several crucial milestones in Pagnol’s life, with some of his most important relationships lacking substance. Then, before you know it, his life is over, and so is the film.

Pagnol's life flashes before our eyes, which might be what Chomet was going for. There’s a point in the film where Pagnol contemplates telling his life story, saying, “Memoir? You’d need a memory for that.” Pagnol’s memory isn’t what it used to be. So, perhaps it’s fitting that his recollections can feel scattered and not always in-depth. It doesn’t make for the most cohesive film, but Chomet’s animation and his admiration for the subject matter make for an engaging experience. Even if it’s not a magnificent film from start to finish, Chomet’s craftsmanship remains in a league of its own. 

Nick Spake is the Author of Bright & Shiny: A History of Animation at Award Shows Volumes 1 and 2. Available Now!