2008 Woodie Awards
Epic statement moves 'Jean de Florette'
Movies you should be watching
Tanya Ludlow
Issue date: 4/16/08 Section: Features
Although I enjoy quirky character studies, or movies focused on a narrow vein of human experience, once in a while nothing will satisfy my movie cravings like a good epic: A monumental testament to the human spirit, large in their scope and impact, sure to give one a serious case of the sniffles.
Of course being kind of a self-proclaimed movie snob, I am not about to fall back on tired favorites like "Braveheart" and "Gladiator" - that would be too easy. "Jean de Florette" and its sequel "Manon of the Spring" fulfill the requirement for something "big," and as an added bonus, they are French films, so watching and talking about them will make you appear to be cultured as well.
These multigenerational epics that chronicle the monstrosity of human greed, the struggle of man against man, man against nature and man against God, are set in a paradoxically small town in Provence. A dry and dusty land, water is at a premium, and the plot is centered on a piece of farmland that has its own spring.
When the owner of the land dies, a powerful man in town, César Soubeyran, wants land and its spring for himself. Instead, the land is inherited by a hunchbacked tax collector from the city, Jean de Florette, played by Gérard Depardiey, who decides to return to the country with his family and attempt a quiet existence raising vegetables and rabbits.
Jean is ostracized by the villagers by both his status as an outsider and his deformity, and is easy prey for César, who pretends to befriend him while at the same time sabotages his efforts at farming. As the devastating events of "Jean de Florette" unfold and spill over into "Manon of the Spring," the story comes full circle like a Greek tragedy.
Although each film stands on its own merits, after you watch "Jean de Florette" it will be impossible not to watch "Manon of the Spring."
Of course being kind of a self-proclaimed movie snob, I am not about to fall back on tired favorites like "Braveheart" and "Gladiator" - that would be too easy. "Jean de Florette" and its sequel "Manon of the Spring" fulfill the requirement for something "big," and as an added bonus, they are French films, so watching and talking about them will make you appear to be cultured as well.
These multigenerational epics that chronicle the monstrosity of human greed, the struggle of man against man, man against nature and man against God, are set in a paradoxically small town in Provence. A dry and dusty land, water is at a premium, and the plot is centered on a piece of farmland that has its own spring.
When the owner of the land dies, a powerful man in town, César Soubeyran, wants land and its spring for himself. Instead, the land is inherited by a hunchbacked tax collector from the city, Jean de Florette, played by Gérard Depardiey, who decides to return to the country with his family and attempt a quiet existence raising vegetables and rabbits.
Jean is ostracized by the villagers by both his status as an outsider and his deformity, and is easy prey for César, who pretends to befriend him while at the same time sabotages his efforts at farming. As the devastating events of "Jean de Florette" unfold and spill over into "Manon of the Spring," the story comes full circle like a Greek tragedy.
Although each film stands on its own merits, after you watch "Jean de Florette" it will be impossible not to watch "Manon of the Spring."
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