Jean De Florette
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Movie Reviews of Jean De Florette
Movie Review: A tragic tale of greed
Summary: 5 Stars
"Jean de Florette" is a classic French film about the tragic consequences of greed and envy. Jean (Gerard Depardieu) leaves his job in the city and brings his wife and little daughter, Manon, to live on the farm he has just inherited. He does not know that there is an excellent spring on his land, but his neighbor Cesar (Yves Montand) and his nephew Ugolin know, and they want it for themselves. They plug up the spring, planning to force Jean to sell the property (to them). Jean is an idealist and joyously begins raising rabbits and planting vegetables with the help of his trusty manuals, but there is no rain and the crops will die if something is not done.
The story unfolds at a leisurely pace, allowing plenty of time to get to know loving Jean, unscrupulous Cesar, and simple Ugolin. The pace of village life is slow and the land is hard; the scheme to drive Jean away gradually gets more sinister. The three lead actors are all excellent and so convincing you'll be mesmerized. The photography is quite lovely. The ending may come as a surprise if you don't know that this is part one of two films; the second, "Manon of the Spring," continues the story.
Kona
Movie Review: As powerful, universal and revealing of humanity as any trilogy of Greek tragedies
Summary: 5 Stars
This story stands on its own write as inevitable Grecian tragedy building on the prideful ignorance of Jean, the main character. He does not know of the spring which was blocked and concealed by the neighbor who desires not only his land to grow chrysthanthemums upon, but one day when she blooms, his daughter Manon. With the conspiracy of friends, this covetous neighbor blocks the spring which would bring life and fertility to the farm. Jean tries everything including tragically dynamite to bring the waters to flow with abundant life.
When all is too late we discover unknown family ties which would have made Jean not a rejected outsider intruding upon and rejected by this enclosed and impoverished mountain farming community but embraced as a lost son. At that point the characters can only stand back and lament their realization come far too late. The inevitable development and tragedy of these two films together is as stately as as horrifying as a trilogy of ancient Greek plays, as profound and as universal. Watch them carefully and rivers of understanding will wash you with renewed humanity.
Movie Review: When Depardieu was still an actor...
Summary: 5 Stars
...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.
Movie Review: Jean de florette...a few corrections
Summary: 5 Stars
This is undoubtedly one of the best films ever to come from France... The film takes place in Province, & tells the story of a Hunchback (jean De Florette), who inherits an old farm from his late uncle. He has previously worked in the city as a tax inspecter & decides to bring his wife & daughter to the farm to start a new life, raising rabbits to support the family. (Not Carnations).His neighbours block up the only water source that the farmland has, so his job is made virtually imposible, hence the scenes of carrying water to the farm... The neighbours want to buy the land from him to grow carnations, so that they can sell them themselves... The tale of hardship & deceit that unfolds is very touching, & the story is truly one of the classics in French literature. The film closely follows the original story by Marcel Pagnol, & the photography in this film is truly stunning...this is what Province really looks like... Buy it!... The film "Manon des sources" is the concluding part of this powerful story.Movie Review: heart-rending and truly great
Summary: 5 Stars
This is one of those films that continues to haunt the imagination years after you see it. The conflict is so classic: a good and dangerously naive man (Depardieu) falls prey to a calculating and evil neighbor (Montand), who is helped along the way by a hapless relation (Auteuil). These actors form a trio that is unsurpassed in French cinema and their chemistry is so painfully believable that it is hard to watch the events unfold. The prolific Depardieu has never been better as the well-intentioned hunchback returning to his inherited land to live a more natural life. Montand, his murderous neighbor who covets the land, is so believably evil as a dried up and selfish man that it is truly chilling. And Auteuil is so weak and pathetic as he participates in Montand's machinations, yet so lonely that he is sympathetic as well.
It is so refreshing to see a film that is so un-Hollywood, so self-consiciously determined to tell a great tragic story rather than some syrupy mishmash.
Get it. YOu won't be disappointed.