Fernandel Fights to Prove He’s the Perfect Don Camillo Despite Doubts!

The Don Camillo series, which spanned five films and attracted 32 million viewers, is closely associated with its stars: Gino Cervi as Peppone and Fernandel as the priest who converses with Jesus. However, contrary to what one might assume, it wasn’t an easy task for the French actor with the Marseille accent to secure this role, especially with the Italian audience in mind.

In 1965, Fernandel reflected on the time he was first approached for the role and the challenges he faced in securing it (via INA):

“Let me tell you about the Italians…”

“I had been accepted for the film. Let me tell you, when the Italians heard that Fernandel was going to play Don Camillo, there was quite an uproar. Before Don Camillo, I was known in Italy mostly for my comedic films. The Italians were afraid that me, dressed as a priest, would distort the story.”

“[Director Julien] Duvivier and the French co-producer Robert Chabert were the only two who believed in me and insisted that I take the role. To convince the Italian producer, who was somewhat reluctant, Duvivier showed him a copy of my film ‘Meurtres?’ which deals with the topic of euthanasia, to demonstrate that I could also handle dramatic roles. It was after this screening and strong recommendations from Julien Duvivier and Robert Chabert that I got to play Don Camillo for the first time.”

Fernandel and Duvivier, a Fruitful Collaboration

Fernandel and Julien Duvivier had worked together several times beyond ‘The Little World of Don Camillo’ (1952) and ‘The Return of Don Camillo’ (1953). Their collaborations also include ‘Un Carnet de bal’ (1937), ‘The Man in the Raincoat’ (1957), and ‘The Devil and the Ten Commandments’ (1962), where Fernandel played… God!

After the massive success of the first film (12.79 million admissions in France!), the Don Camillo saga was expanded with four more episodes filmed between 1953 and 1965. It was during the filming of a sixth episode titled ‘Don Camillo and the Challengers’ in 1970 that Fernandel had to stop due to illness, forcing him to abandon the project, which he never resumed. He passed away in February 1971 at the age of 67.