Rating: 
Summary: Superb!
Review: One, if not the, most outstanding films (and books) ever! The two films are not a film and its sequel. They are one story too long to relate onto the screen in one film. I saw it in 1986 when I was 19 and I cried buckets! At 37 I am still bawling. Beautiful and clear in its depiction of human frailties and strengths.
Rating:
Summary: WOW!
Review: As I sat and watched this movie I first thought of having first seen Manon of the Spring but it didn't take long for me to get entirely wrapped up in the storyline of the haunchback and all of his misfortunes wrought at the hands of his wicked, jealous neighbors.When you watch this movie you'll spot people in your own life who play the part of the covetous next door neighbors. You may even see stories in your own life play out concurrently while you watch this story. The French certainly do know how to tell a story. I like how they take their time to let the details of the story unfold and don't rush too much or skip entirely over interesting details. This movie is a must have for any foreign film buffs.
Rating:
Summary: Thank God for wide screen!
Review: This DVD should settle the argument over wide screen vs. full screen format. The director fills every inch of the screen with beauty. It would be a shame to lose any of it. And for those with regular 4:3 TVs, the subtitles are mostly in the black area. I cannot exceed the praise written below for this film and won't try.
Rating:
Summary: One of the most heartbreakingly beautiful films ever made
Review: This is the first half of a two-part movie, the second half being MANON OF THE SPRING. One of the things I love about this movie is that you don't really realize what it is about until the very end of the second film. When you reach that point, and all secrets have been revealed, the story that the film tells is seen to be both extraordinarily beautiful and horrifically tragic. The first film is a story of pure rapacious greed that stoops to subterfuge and cruelty to obtain its desires. Yves Montand, in the last great achievement in a remarkable career, plays a grower who covets the water on an adjoining property, and with the help of his subservient relative Daniel Auteuil, they plot to frustrate the attempts of the land's new tenant, a middle-class hunchback named Jean de Florette, played by Gérard Depardieu, to work the property. Jean, who is goodhearted, generous, and kind, is a firm believer in scientific principles, and hopes to make a success by applying the most up-to-date methods in his efforts. Unbeknownst to him, the spring that was to provide him with most of his water is blocked by his neighbors, and his experiment is doomed to failure, with tragic consequences. The plot of the two films is one of the best I know of in the past several decades, but unfortunately to relate it would be unfair to those who have not seen the film. I'll content myself with saying that the film contains several major surprises, but surprises that are not there simply for the sake of shocking, but fulfill the potential of the story as a whole, and give the film a rich and deep significance. Gérard Depardieu is extraordinary as the unhappy Jean de Florette, and Yves Montand despicable as Le Papet, the neighbor. Although throughout most of his career known as a sophisticated, debonair, and charismatic leading man, in this film Montand plays completely against type. He is thoroughly convincing as a covetous, petty, and vicious rustic. This film can definitely be seen on its own, apart from MANON OF THE SPRING, but one must remember that doing so will leave many hidden aspects unexplored and resolved. Together, these two movies represent one of the great cinematic experiences of the past couple of decades.
Rating:
Summary: My frenchies friends actors G. DEPARDIEU & D. AUTEUIL
Review: In this movie that i've seen many time ago Daniel Auteil was becoming a real good tragedian before he has played very much comicals movies but there, he has changed of register ! And when an actor is able to understand an other concept of the cinema, he become a man with multiples faces and can at this moment play every roles, every personages ! For Mister Gérard Depardieu this movie was a very good godsend because he could be play an other man which was an humbacked who's bound to fight for his wife and his daughter and evidently also for his life ! the story is strong and animated with a marvellous scenario which has a follow-up which is a revenge for the daughter become woman and many disasters for the poors GRAND FATHER and UNCLE YVES MONTAND was a good actor with many talents !
Rating:
Summary: When Depardieu was still an actor...
Review: ...and not a star!
This one, together with "The Return of Martin Guerre", "Cyrano de Bergerac" and "Tout les Matins du Monde" made him what he is today. Unfortunately, he seems to have forgotten.
Granted, it is a foreign movie, a French one at that, but the humanity contained in it, prevails over mountains and oceans.
A story of greed, love, hate, passion, jealousy and everything that comes with life.
A simple and yet complex story, which could easily be transposed anywhere and yet, in its French setting it seems more poetic.
Its beautiful music, adapted from Verdi's "La Forza del Destino", will make you hum it without end.
But, if you are truly interested in the full story, you will also have to buy "Manon of the Spring". Without it you may still love this movie, but will never understand its ending.
Yves Montand, Daniel Auteuil and Emanuelle Beart (in "Manon") perform admirably and catch you with strong performances.
Such movies are rare to come by and this one is really a must for every good movie lover.
Rating: 
Summary: "I suppose you are going to be charitable and buy the farm"
Review: Claude Berri's "Jean de Florette" is a simple but sobering film depicting the evils of human nature. The story revolves around a hunchbacked tax collector named Jean de Florette (Gerard Depardieu) who travels to a piece of property he has just inherited. He brings along his wife and young daughter to the countryside and sees endless potential in the long-abandoned farm land that he now owns. Jean dreams of reaping endless profits from the vegetables and rabbits he will raise but all of his plans hinge on finding a fresh water spring that a map indicates is on his land. However, two neighboring farmers (Yves Montand and Daniel Auteuil) plot against him and plug the spring to guarantee Jean's ruin. They want him to fail as this will force him to sell the land cheap to them. Time passes and Jean becomes more and more desperate when a drought ravages his crops and kills off his rabbits. He makes one last futile attempt to find the hidden water source that he knows is nearby but tragically meets his doom in the process. American audiences who are familiar with Depardieu only through his comedic work will be surprised at how well he handles himself in a dramatic role. He passionately brings to life his tragic farmer. Montand and Auteuil are equally memorable as the scheming villians who epitomize the less desirable traits of man. They provide the perfect contrast to Depardieu's naive but noble character. However, the one image that will linger in your mind after the film is finished is that of actress Ernestine Mazurowna who plays Manon Cadoret, Jean's daughter. Her performance toward the end of the film when she shifts from being traumatized to developing a revenge-fueled resolve raises the emotional level of the film to a crescendo. Powerful stuff. Don't be scared off by the subtitles - watch this film if you get the opportunity.
Rating:
Summary: Magnificent
Review: This movie is excellent on its own, but absolutely extraordinary when paired with its sequel, Manon of the Spring. I highly reccomend the two as a pair to anyone considering either.
Rating:
Summary: Incredible
Review: One of my personal favorites..along with Manon of the Spring. I can't recommend this film highly enough. The personal drama captures one immediately.
Rating:
Summary: Great story !
Review: The performance of all actors, especially Gerard Depardieu is top-notch. The story has a sad ending, but thought provoking. The excitement, energy and the fierce determination of Jean de Florette is inspiring. This city dweller is so determined to succeed as a farmer that he will give up under no circumstance. Beware that the French spoken in this movie is not the Parisian French, the Provence accent makes it very hard to understand, in case you are a student of French. (There are French subtitles too, besides English, so that helps a lot).
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