6/26/1987Theatrical (limited) New York City, New York
8/27/1987Theatrical
Jean de Florette(1986)
DramaRated , PG121 min.
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.
"For some men, land and water are more precious than flesh and blood."
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Nutshell
5/22/2020
- / 10
sub·tle (adjective) Definition: making use of clever and indirect methods to achieve something.
One of the most celebrated French films of the 1980s, and with good reason. I don't think
there's ever been a film that better depicts evil so subtlety well as Jean de Florette, specifically
in terms of greed, covetousness, and selfishness. It is not at all a "thriller", but an engrossing
drama that envelops you with its deep characterizations and tragic story. Directed and co-written
by Claude Berri, and starring Yves Montand and Gerard Depardieu (both of them just excellent). This film, viewed along with it's
sequel Manon of the Spring, reward the viewer with roughly 4 hours of one of the most enjoyable
cinematic experiences ever. This is the Pathé 4K Restoration.
**The power of envy and the ineffectiveness of farming by handbooks.**
The film is quite good, perhaps one of the best French films I've seen this year, which whets the appetite for the sequel, which is reputed to be even better. Simple, this film begins with the cunning maneuvers of a wealthy Provençal farmer to obtain cheaply the land of a neighboring property. It turns out that the owner is not up to this. When he dies, a short time later, the property goes to an heir who lives in the city, is a hunchback and doesn't know much about agriculture, having to read a lot to come up with ideas to make the property profitable. Aware of its importance and envious of their neighbour, potential purchasers are boycotting access to water.
For city people, water is so guaranteed that we don't even think about how it ends up in our faucet. In the countryside, however, things are different, and it is not uncommon to have serious problems between neighbors due to irrigation water management. And this is becoming more and more problematic, as some areas face increasing problems of water supply and reserve. Provence is one of those places and today, the idea of a book telling us how many rainy days we would have per year is unrealistic.
In addition to having a very good story and very well written, the film features two great French actors named Gérard Depardieu and Yves Montand. Both are incredible at their work, with a muted dislike that seems mutual, yet Depardieu's much more urbane character seems able to ignore similar issues. It would not be fair of me to ignore the enormous contribution of Daniel Auteuil, who manages to be a despicable villain without, however, deserving our anger. We understand very well that his character is heavily manipulated by his uncle.
It is a discreet film, with good cinematography, magnificent colors and whose settings, of a delightful bucolism, are perhaps one of the best postcards of old Provence, where the lavender plantations, very scenic, but intensive and intrusive, have not yet taken over. place of cereals and olive trees. The sets and costumes are equally good, and the soundtrack does an impeccable job.
"Ugolin" (Daniel Auteuil) returns from the war to his wealthy uncle "Papet" (Yves Montant) with some inspiration. He doesn't divulge his cunning plan until he is ready, and then presents the man with some perfectly cultivated carnations. It turns out there's money in flowers, but they also need a great deal of water. Gallons and gallons of the stuff. It occurs to "Papet" that their curmudgeonly neighbour might be willing to sell his land, upon which there is a clogged-up spring. No such luck there but an accident shortly afterwards fills them with hope. Sadly for them, their plans are further frustrated by the arrival of the hunch-backed and enthusiastic city boy "Jean" (Gérard Depardieu) and his wife and child who move onto the farm. They are decent and hard-working relatives of the dead man and are determined to use science to make a go of things. Whilst feigning friendship with the family, "Ugolin" and "Papet" cement over their water supply and leave them at the mercy of the unpredictable weather and a rather ropey cistern system. Their farming days would appear to be doomed unless God intervenes. What now ensues sees the family "Cadoret" increasingly struggle to make money breeding rabbits and growing fruit and vegetables - amidst the mother of all heatwaves, as their cognisant neighbours look on unwilling to point out that their salvation is buried but yards away. Will the cynical ploy of the "Soubeyran" clan prevail? There's a great cast doing the work here, with Auteuil especially effective as the slightly conflicted nephew who doesn't always come across as the full shilling; Montand as the calculating, dynastically motivated, manipulator and finally a great effort from Depardieu who manages to portray a man plumbing the depths of despair - whilst always seemingly open to a degree of optimism and hope, really compellingly. The drama is peppered with loads of earthy humour and the small town setting provides for many of the usual characterisations of village life that is sceptical of, if not downright hostile to, new arrivals. It's also quite a potent look at just how crucial running water is, too. It continues through into "Manon de Source"...
