Jean De Florette

Classic cinema is to be treasured from whatever source. There have been some fine French language films over the years and none more so than Jean de Florette from 1986. It was adapted from the novel by Marcel Pagnol, which was published in 1966. The movie was a critical and commercial success for director Claude Berri and won numerous awards. It was nominated for eight Cesar Awards, the highest film award in France, winning for Best Film. It also won Best Film at the Bafta awards in Britain. The film starred Yves Montand, Gerard Depardieu and Daniel Auteuil. Montand and Depardieu especially, are well known from the English language movies they have both made. Elisabeth Depardieu, wife to Gerard at the time is also in the film.

The story is set in a small village in the Southern area of Provence, immediately following World War I. It tells the story of a struggle for water between farming neighbors that has dire consequences. Water is the fundamental need and it is prayed for and sought by water divining. The weather plays an important part in the film as livelihoods depend on the crops surviving. The village bakes in the sun, gets muddy from lashing rain and is covered in a blanket of snow.

Villagers are seen about their daily lives, playing boules and drinking too much wine. They are an insular community and don't take kindly to outsiders. Jean de Florette is a grim morality tale with a lot of fine acting and atmospheric cinematography.

Souberin (Montand) and his nephew Ugolin (Auteuil) are desperate to take over neighboring land for its supply of water from a spring. They are thwarted when the hunchback Jean de Florette turns up with his family to claim the land that has been bequeathed to him. Souberin and Ugolin hatch a plot to drive their new neighbor away and block up the spring. Unaware of the water source beneath his feet, Jean de Florette struggles to water his crops from distant wells. The situation worsens for the family and Souberin and his accomplice watch on ruthlessly as they descend into poverty and worse.

The sequel to the novel, titled Manon Des Sources, was also successfully filmed by the same director and made at the same time as the original. The second film picks up the story and leads on a theme of long awaited revenge. This is one of those films that illustrates that it doesn't have to be made in Hollywood to deserve attention and this example is a true classic.

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