Fanny is a 1961 film directed by Joshua Logan, based on his own 1954 musical, but with the songs taken out. The musical was based on a trio of movies which were based on two stage plays by French playwright/filmmaker Marcel Pagnol. It starred Leslie Caron, Horst Buchholz, Maurice Chevalier, and Charles Boyer.
Marseille, in the 1920s. Fanny (Caron) is the radiantly beautiful 18-year-old daughter of a lady fishmonger. She is in love with Marius (Buchholz), the son of barkeeper Cesar (Boyer). Marius seems to like Fanny as well, but he's put out by her constant flirting with and teasing of Panisse (Chevalier), a wealthy merchant and widower who is at least 40 years older than Fanny is. Panisse for his part is smitten with gorgeous Fanny and hopes to marry her, despite the huge age difference. Meanwhile, Marius dreams of escape from sleepy provincial Marseilles, and has signed up to be a sailor on a research vessel that's going to spend five years sailing around the world.
No relation to musical group Fanny.
Tropes:
- Bedlah Babe: The very sexy dancer at the bar where Marius signs up for the expedition is dressed this way.
- Childhood Friend Romance: Fanny admits that she's loved Marius since they were little kids, and always hated it when she'd see him talking to another little girl.
- Dirty Old Man: Panisse can't get enough of Fanny, putting his arm around her, holding her hand, toying with the necklace that's dangling down under her dress. This greatly annoys Marius, who says "You old lecher!" and starts a fight.
- Enter Stage Window: Marius climbs into his bedroom window to try and hide the fact that he didn't sleep at home. Unfortunately for him Fanny's mother Honorine already caught them together.
- Eagleland: Flavor 2, at least from the single throwaway gag that has a dockworker throw a rotten orange at Panisse solely because he mistook Panisse for an American.
- Gaussian Girl: Quite obvious multiple times with Leslie Caron, like when Fanny is lying in bed after she's had her baby. In the scene where Fanny and Marius are reunited after Marius's return from the ocean, Caron keeps bouncing back and forth between focused in the medium shots to Gaussian in the close-ups.
- I Need a Freaking Drink: Honorine takes a glass of wine from Cesar with a shaking hand after she catches Marius and Fanny in bed.
- I Want My Beloved to Be Happy: Why Fanny browbeats Marius into going away to sea rather than staying in Marseilles and marrying her. ("I want you to be happy!")
- One-Night-Stand Pregnancy: Fanny and Marius share one night of passion the night before Marius ships out. Guess what Fanny does nine months later.
- Selective Obliviousness: Fanny's mother Honorine is skeptical about Panisse's proposal to Fanny, noting the age difference and saying that Fanny will probably cheat on him, and admit it when he confronts her. Panisse considers this and says that if he never asks, maybe she won't tell.
- Sexless Marriage: Panisse admits that he never asked Fanny to have sex with him."I was very undemanding, so to speak."
- Sexy Figure Gesture: Marius and Cesar's English friend are talking about Cesar's bosomy girlfriend.English guy: Tell me, is it the same [[makes "big breasts" gesture]]...voluptuous Dutch lady?
Marius: She is Spanish and [[makes giant boobs gesture]]...monumental. - Shameless Fanservice Girl: Fanny gets her jollies by getting the men of the neighborhood excited. In her first appearance she shows up at Cesar's bar, says it's hot, and ostentatiously adjusts her little slip of a dress, while Cesar, Marius, and Panisse all goggle at her.
