Product: Jean de Florette (1987)
Rating: 5.0
Old Mac Le Papet had a farm ...
This movie has the simple feel of a provincial or pastoral folktale. A farmer, Le Papet (played by Yves Montand) and his nephew, Ugolin (Daniel Auteuil) scheme against the city inheritor, Jean Cadoret (Gerard Depardieu) of a neighboring farm, keeping secret from him the whereabouts of a hidden spring. Ugolin wants the land to grow flowers on; Jean has plans for breeding rabbits and growing vegetables. Jean comes with his books and statistics about crops and the weather; he has faith in his knowledge, but believes in God's providence, too. He is a hunchback as well, which only adds to our sympathies. A drought comes and sure enough the lack of water ruins him and the farm is sold to Ugolin. But Jean's little daughter learns of the spring just before they leave, which sets up the action for the sequel: MANON OF THE SPRING.Like all good folktales, the story here is simple and straightforward, and the telling is always interesting. The characters are all well developed and their motivations are complex enough to keep them human and not types. The movie is a real throwback to pre-New Wave classics such as HARVEST (1937). A comparative fortune was spent in making this movie, but it was money well spent. Definitely worth a watch.