Customer Reviews

Jean De Florette [VHS]

5 star:		(70)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

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.

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.

Jean De Florette and its sequel Manon of the Spring deserve all of the accolades and heart-felt praises you read here and elsewhere. I loved them as a 17-year old after stumbling across a special broadcast on PBS, and I love them today as a 29-year old recapturing the magic on DVD.

It doesn't get any better than this, folks. These films are simply bursting at the seams with poignant lessons on humanity. One which I admire the most is the tax collector-turned farmer's (Gerard Depardieu) single-minded perseverance to realize his dream. One might argue that he selfishly ignored the well being of his wife and child in pursuing his dream. But I contend that he would not have chosen this path had he thought for one second that his family did not share the same passion. In fact, we observe nothing but unwavering love and support from his wife and child.

For you travel lovers out there, is there a better way to immerse yourself in life in a quaint French village without leaving the comfort of your living room? This is one of the reasons I love well-made foreign films. They transport you ever so eloquently to another land and time.

Watch these films. I hope you enjoy them as much as I do.

This is the film that got me on to French cinema. Actually, I made a mistake and watched Manon of the Springs first, but still found de Florette stunning. Perhaps the need to rely on subtitles combined with my very, very poor French forces a better level of attention and use of the mind. More likely, this work is just so stunning in concept and execution that it left an indelible impression. In any event, I was so spellbound by the Marcel Pagnol story and Claude Berri film that I couldn't rest until a few weeks later, when I found the novel during a business trip to LA (this was before Amazon). Surprisingly, the film made every essential point contained in the written work, even in the short time available and nothing crucial was missed.

This film reminds me of someone's quotation about Rostand's Cyrano de Bergerac: it's not a great play, merely a perfect one. The performance by Yves Montand, sadly his last, as the elderly patriarch of a dying out peasant clan was monumental. Depardieu is excellent, but that's nothing unusual. What is unusual is that he still excels in a film where the other actors are the real focuses of attention. In every way this movie is the polar opposite of the standard dreck that comes out of Hollywood. If I had the opportunity, I would rate it at 25 stars instead of 5. My only caution is that it is necessary to also see Manon of the Springs to get the whole story, but that's no burden at all, since the second film is almost as perfect.

Jean de Florette " et " Manon du printemps " étaient à un point un seul la production, mais a fendu dans un plus maniable en premier et deuxième vidéo les actes. Vainqueurs de plusieurs récompenses du film majeures, ces deux films disent le histoire touchante d'un bossu expulsé, Jean (Gerard Depardieu), qui possession des enregistrements d'un morceau de terre dans un village en France dans ordre fait un cultivez la vie pour sa femme et fille des labeurs de la ville loin. Le caractère de Yves Montand, Cesar Soubeyran, ne peut pas porter voir le sien l'automne de la terre de famille dans les mains du Jean estropié, donc lui et le sien le neveu, Ugolin, conspire pour boucher en haut la source seule d'eau sur le la terre. Le résultat est un coeur-tirer violemment sur la tragédie. Des profondeurs de désespoir dans " Jean de Florette " vient " Manon du Le printemps ". Ce film suit Jean maintenant-fille du grand, Manon (le Emanuelle Béart radiant), comme elle vient se rendre compte comme le village comploté contre sa famille. Sa vengeance, pendant que sucré, exposés un caché tragédie que profondément l'affecte victime ultime dans un chemin qui il n'aurait jamais imaginé. Ces deux films doivent être envisagés ensemble. " Jean de fins Florette " amèrement, nécessiter une parution qui peut être trouvée dans " Manon " seulement. Le l'art de conter est rendu complet dans ce chemin. La direction douée de Claude Berri fait les deux filme le standout quand comparé avec le schlock Hollywood d'aujourd'hui. Le développement du aux caractères sont permis de déplier patiemment et affectueusement, et dans une manière logique avec les vrais gens, pas coupe-circuit du carton et stéréotypes. Vous sentez la douleur, la colère, la trahison dans une manière logique avec notre tous les jours existence. Les deux films sont en français avec les sous-titres. Pour ceux qui attendent le typique la fin française " pendante ", vous serez surprises à comme soigneusement toute l'intrigue les ficelles sont attachées. Ces deux films sont un choix excellent pour ceux qui a tiqué loin de films étrangers et eux les deux obtiennent ma plus haute estimation. Voyez-les bientôt!

The common misconception with foreign films is that they are lurid and difficult to relate to. This film delves into the evils that all men possess, and the beauty which exists on the fringe of reality. This is truly an international masterpiece, and one that I have amazed friends with over ten times. And each time I walk away from watching this series, Manon Des Sources included, my jaw is left dangling and those others in the room, especially first-timers, watch desperately as if another scene would follow to relieve their anguish. Jean De Florette possesses too much dimension to be called an action film, and too much suspense to be shrugged off as a drama. It is, in all its entirety, a reflection of the human spirit, and a documentary on what forces bend and break us all.

IN ANSWER TO THE FIRST REVIEW ABOUT THIS MOVIE, MOST PEOPLE (IN THE UNITED STATES) ARE REALLY IGNORANT OF WHAT GOOD FILMS ARE ALL ABOUT. THEY ARE BLINDED BY TODAY'S "HOLLYWOOD" INDUSTRY WHICH IS LESS THAN PERFECT, TO SAY THE LEAST...
EVERYONE...: DO YOURSELFS A FAVOR: START WATCHING MORE FOREIGN FILMS..., MOST OF THEM ARE NOT PRETENTIOUS, NOT SHALLOW, NOT HOLLYWOOD..., EVERYONE MIGHT LEARN A THING OR TWO.
GREAT FILM, FULL OF GOOD CONTENT AND MEANING!!!

Gerard Depardieu is superb in this film, as are all of the characters. It is one of the most beautiful films I have seen; however, it is imperative that Manon of the Spring (part II of this movie) be watched immediately afterward to obtain the full splendor of its telling. The scenery is gorgeous, and the acting splendid. It is a simple tale with simple people, and you have to be willing to get comfortable and spend the time it takes to watch the whole story without getting impatient. It will be worth the wait. It is the tale of French provincial farmers, their mentality. and the intrusion of a city fellow (Depardieu) who has inherited a farm and come to join their ranks. He wants to succeed and has a wonderfully positive outlook about his prospects. They just want to drive him out and have a negative attitude. They get their come-uppance through his daughter in the second film, Manon of the Spring, and the tale comes all the way around. It is one of the top five favorite films that I have ever seen. An exquisite little gem. If you like the Hollywood style, stay away from it - you'll be bored to death. If you have the time to sit back and appreciate what's in front of you, you will love it.

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.

This is a very good and moving film and, with it's sequel "Manon des Sources" is truely excellent. It is not necessary to watch the sequel to appreciate Jean de Florette, but you will have to watch this first to make any sense of the the characters' motivations in Manon.

I just wanted to comment on the review that suggested that the film-maker's motivation in splitting the two parts was financial. Look closely - the sequel takes place some 10 years later and uses the same cast. The story had to be broken up to allow everyone - especially the child Manon - to age sufficiently to continue.

These are a couple of amazing films.