Jean De Florette

Rating:
Summary: the best French movie
Review: In my opinion, the best French movie ever made. Together with the sequel (Manon des sources) it displays a thrilling drama. It isn't till the end of the second movie, you begin to understand how dramatic the events really are.

Rating:
Summary: You really do need to see both...
Review: Released within a year of each other, "Jean de Florette" and "Manon des Sources" (aka "Manon of the Spring") are often viewed and reviewed separately, but the truth is that they're integral parts of a single story which needs to be seen in sequence for its full impact to be revealed.

Set in the 1920's, both explore the stark realities of the tough existence and myopic intrigue that was an integral part of life in the Luberon's stunningly pretty countryside & villages before the march of time transformed them into "must see" tourist destinations. Beautifully filmed and meticulously crafted, their brilliantly effective evocation of the realities of this now lost and very different world elevates each into the category of truly outstanding cinema - visual feasts that re-create what life was really like, good and bad, in what we now see as an "idyllic" time.

And, as entertainment? Well, "Jean de Florette" wins in terms of having the stronger and most obvious "plot", enhanced by Gerard Depardieu's tremendous performance as a man seeking to realise his vision in the face of insurmountable odds. But that is, as "Manon des Sources" reveals, only half the story, for beneath the tragedy of "Jean de Florette" is a much more tragic sequence of events. Slower, more reflective and, in the end, deeply moving, "Manon des Sources" is not simply a "follow-up" but the key to understanding the full story on offer.

Individually each "works" and, as such, stands in its own right as an excellent film, but it is only when seen together that their true power is revealed. You really do need to see both...


Rating:
Summary: Guy de Maupassant would have loved this
Review: The acting--pick any of the three stars, Yves Montand, Gerard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil--is superb, and the supporting cast excellent. But what makes this and its sequel, Manon des Sources (1986), jewels of the French cinema is the story and the characterizations, which go hand in hand.

There is genius in how naturally and almost inevitably the story unfolds. Although I haven't read the novel by Marcel Pagnol, I'm sure he's the genius. And this is not to slight Claude Berri's direction which is invisible and at the same time in total control, so that the film is simply a work of art. The characters are true to themselves, and what they do seems natural because of who they are. Jean Florette (Depardieu) fails because he puts too much faith in science, knowledge and the good will and fairness of his fellow man. (He should have listened to his suspicious wife!) Ugolin (Auteuil), whose selfishness and little guy envy lead him to do the harm that he does, is not a despicable character. We do not hate him the way Manon understandably does. He is a man of weakness who gave into greed. Papet (Montand), believes in the lineage of man, in property, money-all the standard burgher values. He is led to do his dirty deeds because of who he is.

What is so, so superior in "Florette" compared to most movies is the lack of propaganda, the lack of adherence to some political or philosophic preconception. What shines forth is people living their lives and falling into some very human traps. I am reminded of Balzac and Guy De Maupassant in the depiction of the petit bourgeois life of the French peasantry and attendant psychology.

Rating:
Summary: A Pastoral Tragedy
Review: Claude Berri directs this adaptation of Marcel Pagnol's epic tragedy set in rural France during the 1920s. In addition to the beautiful scenery of the southern French coutryside, the direction and acting create a most touching drama on the human condition.

Jean de Florette (Gerard Depardieu) is a city man whose inheritance of a small tract in rural France encourages him to abandon his urban life and become a farmer. Confident that the land holds a spring to quench the parched earth, Jean becomes obsessed with applying his newly learned agricultural skills. Although Jean understands the science of agriculture, he's innocent as to the mindset of farmers such as his neighbors played by Yves Montand and Daniel Auteuil. His idealistic notion of pastoral life deceives him into thinking that his neighbors are welcoming and honest folk who wish to help him in his pursuits: he couldn't be further from the truth. In the end, Jean becomes the victim of his own credulity and of his neighbor's schemes. Befriending Jean, the neighboring farmers actually want the land for themselves and will do anything to keep it barren.

This is an extremely good movie with rich detail and metaphor. The acting is top knotch and the cinematography is stunning. I strongly recommend this film.