Product: Jean de Florette (1987)
Rating: 5.0
A tragic tale of greed
"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