In a rural French village, an old man and his only remaining relative cast their covetous eyes on an adjoining vacant property. They need its spring water for growing their flowers, and are dismayed to hear that the man who has inherited it is moving in. They block up the spring and watch as their new neighbour tries to keep his crops watered from wells far afield through the hot summer. Though they see his desperate efforts are breaking his health and his wife and daughter's hearts, they think only of getting the water.
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Jean de Florette is the first of a two-part French period drama from director Claude Berri, concluded by Manon des Sources which was also released the same year. It should be stressed that both films need to be watched together, as individually they will not entirely make sense. This first part sets the scene and is by far the more downbeat of the two films. Set in the 1920's in south-east France in a rural community based in a mountainous region, the story centres on a city man, a hunchback called Jean de Florette, and his family who inherit an estate in the hills. His neighbours Cesar and his nephew Ugolin Soubeyran covet this property and try every underhand trick to force Jean off the property, including blocking the precious spring that his land depends on. As a result of their actions, as well as the complicity of the local villagers, Jean experiences ever increasing levels of stress and bad fortune in trying to make his new life work out.This is a good example of the 'cinema of quality' from France, incidentally a type of traditional film-making in which the young upstarts from the cinéma du look movement were making films in direct opposition to. But I think it's only fair to say that, while it may be an obvious bit of commercial French cinema, it's also a very good example of it. The story-line is its strong point with themes of greed and prejudice, coupled with what can happen when bystanders do nothing when they witness bad deeds. The story is well presented with strong characterisation and excellent acting, especially from Gérard Depardieu as the optimistic and naive Jean, and with Yves Montand and Daniel Auteuil acting as the well-drawn villainous neighbours. Add to this some attractive photography of the natural pastoral landscape, with the famous melancholic score adding a further dimension. It all adds up to a quality bit of cinema and a great appetizer for the second part of the story.
I saw this film during my foreign film phase. American films had started to become too bland and predictable so I decided to give the foreign ones a shot. Subtitles didn't bother me because I already had a history of viewing flicks like those. When I was a kid, my Chinese grandfather used take us to the Saturday matinees at Ascot Cinema on Eastern Main Road in Sangre Grande where Chinese subtitled imports were playing, so I got used to them."Jean de Florette" stunned me, took me by surprise. At first I thought it, and its sequel, "Manon of the Spring," were going to be the most dreaded of all genres - love stories. They weren't. Everything about this movie was perfect - cinematography, acting, direction, everything. I can't recommended this movie and its sequel enough.
French actor, producer, screenwriter and director Claude Berri's twelfth feature film which he co-wrote with French screenwriter Gérard Brach (1927-2006) is an adaptation of a novel, "L'Eau des Collines - Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources" (1964) by French author, playwright and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol (1895-1974), which was inspired by true events. It was shot on numerous locations in the Vaucluse department of Provence in the southeast of France and is part of a duology which was succeeded by "Manon des Sources" (1986). It tells the story about Ugolin Soubeyran who one summer after having served his time in World War I returns to his home in rural Provence where he is welcomed by his highly revered uncle Cesar Le Papet Soubeyran. Back at his home place in the highlands, Ugolin initiates a planned project which involves growing plants, but soon discovers that he is going to need a water resource to keep his enterprise afloat. He let's Papet in on his new activity and the old man is eager to help his nephew, but his good intentions get's the better of him and leads to fatal consequences. Though having their plan ruined they are dead set on finding a way to gain their obstacle, so when a man from the village named Jean Cadoret moves in to his newly inherited property with his wife Aimèe and their adolescent daughter Manon, the two farmers decides to mislead him.Subtly and acutely directed by French filmmaker Claude Berri (1934-2009) and with it's ardent and naturalistic milieu depictions and efficient narrative structure, this historic period piece, at the time the most expensive French film in French history, draws a throughout engaging portrayal of a kind-hearted and loving husband and father with an urban background who whilst struggling to create a good life for himself and his family in a rural area at the turn of the twentieth century, becomes a victim of deception and prejudice. This mid-1980s co-production between France, Italy and Switzerland, known as part of a movement in France during the 1980s called "heritage cinema" which mainly consisted of costume dramas, has a powerful score by French composer and arranger Jean-Claude Petit, based on Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi's Italian opera "The Force of Destiny" (1862), which reinforces the films pivotal atmosphere.Produced by French producers Pierre Grunstein and Alain Poiré (1917-2000) and notable for it's wonderful production design by production designer Bernard Vézat and cinematography by French director and cinematographer Bruno Nuytten, this character-driven and dialog-driven countryside epic which examines themes like interpersonal relations, greed, faith and the distinctions between human goodness and human cruelty is impelled by the splendid acting performances by French actor and producer Gérard Depardieu, Italian-born French actor and singer Yves Montand (1921-1991) and French actor, director and screenwriter Daniel Auteuil. A remarkably narrated and invariably moving drama which gained, among several other awards, the BAFTA Film Award for Best Film, Best cinematography Bruno Nuytten, Best Adapted Screenplay Claude Berri and Gérard Brach and Best Supporting Actor Daniel Auteuil at the 41st British Academy Film Awards in 1988, the NBR Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the National Board of Review of Motion Pictures Awards in 1987 and the César Award for Best Actor Daniel Auteuil at the 13th César Awards in 1987.
Gerard Depardieu is Jean de Florette, a simple, hard working landowner and farmer who grows and sells flowers and also raises rabbits for food. Some of Jean's neighbors would like to buy his land but Jean refuses to sell to them.They then find the main spring nearby and plug it with cement to prevent water from reaching the farm. Jean has to travel a good distance to carry large containers to his farm. He later gets badly injured and they take advantage of the situation quickly.This is a simple and slow moving drama which looks like a painting come to life. It is followed by the equally masterful "Manon of the Spring."
