Heartbeat

Irénée Fabre is a young man working in his uncle's grocery store in southern France who is convinced he possesses a natural talent for acting. When a film crew visits his town, his arrogance and obsession with cinema annoy the group, leading them to play a prank on him. They provide him with a fake acting contract, which Irénée believes is genuine. He travels to Paris to pursue his dreams, only to discover that the offer was a joke, though he eventually reconnects with one of the producers from the original group.

This 1938 comedy was written and directed by Marcel Pagnol. In the chronological order of his directed works, it follows Jofroi and Harvest, and precedes Naïs. The film stars Fernandel as Irénée Fabre, with a credited cast of 26 performers including Fernand Charpin, Henri Poupon, Orane Demazis, Léon Belières, and Jean Castan. The production was handled by Les Films Marcel Pagnol. The movie has been well received by viewers, holding a 7.4 rating on IMDb based on 900 votes and a 6.9 rating on TMDB from 55 votes.