Jean de Florette (1986)

• Year: 1986
• Released: 28 Aug 1987
• Country: France, Switzerland, Italy
• Adwords: Won 4 BAFTA 11 wins & 17 nominations total
• IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091288/
• Rotten Tomatoes: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/jean_de_florette
• Available in: 720p, 1080p,
• Language: French
• MPA Rating: PG
• Genre: Comedy, Drama, Western
• Runtime: 120 min
• Writer: Claude Berri, Gérard Brach, Marcel Pagnol
• Director: Claude Berri
• Cast: Yves Montand, Gérard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil
• Keywords: based on novel or book, neighbor, provence, battle for power, spring (water),

	8.1/10
	96% – Critics
	95% – Audience

Jean de Florette Storyline

In a hilltop-perched village of verdant 1920s Provence, César Soubeyran, the wealthy patriarch of a dying family, and his only living relative, his nephew named Ugolin, are willing to lose their souls to perpetuate the proud bloodline of the Soubeyrans. With this in mind, the two farmers concoct a foolproof plan, and without an ounce of shame, they rob their romantic next-door neighbour, Jean Cadoret, a city dweller suffering from severe kyphosis, of his unknown treasure: a blocked, long-forgotten spring in his property. Now, deprived of precious water during a long and notably dry French summer, Jean and his family, his supportive wife, Aimée, and young daughter, Manon, have to work twice as hard to fulfil their noble aspiration, as the methodical duo systematically destroys their future, watching Jean fail from afar. Will things work out in the end for Jean de Florette?

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Jean de Florette Movie Reviews

A superbly acted French film with fine music and good cinematography

Jean de Florette is a magnificently acted, superb film with fine music and excellent cinematography. The colors used are vibrant and the red carnations are a stunning adjunct of the movie. Its sequel, Manon of the Spring, is even better, and its dramatic ending is quite well written and enacted. Together, these two films are amongst the finest to come from France.

a case where the sequel even exceeds the original

I really enjoyed this movie and was worried the sequel, Manon of the Spring would be a letdown–so often, sequels just can’t compare to the originals. However, I say watch this movie so you can really enjoy just how wonderful the sequel is! So my advice is to see this film and then rush out and see the follow-up film.

Considering that this film is from a script by the great Marcel Pagnol (who was responsible for many of the best French films), it’s not at all surprising that this is a wonderful film. It’s a sad and despicable story about greed. A man (Yves Montand) concocts a scheme to ruin an innocent man (Gérard Depardieu) and his family in order to force them off the land. It’s even worse because the man and his family are so decent and deserve better. However, despite this being morally wrong, this plan was created because Montand wanted this land to remain in his family and be passed on to his descendants. Nice scheme, huh? The acting, writing, cinematography and pacing are superb–so good that I was EAGER to find the sequel. So, watch this movie and understand it only gets better in part 2!

J’adore!

Having been so blown away by Cyrano De Bergerac, I also watched Jean De Florette, also starring Gerard Depardieu. Jean De Florette is a very different film, but every bit as fantastic. Depardieu is very endearing in a performance that has in his career only been surpassed by Cyrano De Bergerac to me. Yves Montand and Daniel Auteuil are also outstanding as the scheming Soubeyrans. The acting is not Jean De Florette’s only good asset. This is an example of a film where everything works. The story is beautifully paced and evocative, the script is witty and very cinematic, the cinematography shimmers, the scenery is breathtaking, the music is lively yet again very understated and the direction does wonderfully in capturing the pace of the seasons changing and Provence’s unique atmosphere. All in all, I love this movie just as much as Cyrano De Bergerac, and I am watching Manon of the Spring(and loving it) even as we speak. 10/10 Bethany Cox