Manon des sources (1986) Reviews

• A great film

  DeeNine-21999-12-22

  This is just as good or even better that it predecessor, Jean de Florette (1986). It is amazing how well thought out the story is. Like a Greek tragedy, everything falls into place, everything is accounted for as fate conspires with character to bring about retribution for those who did wrong. We feel sad and sorry for Papet and Ugolin, whose weaknesses and "crimes" are so like our own. Daniel Auteuil, who plays Ugolin, is a actor with great range and sensitivity. He is unforgettable here as a not-too-bright peasant who suffers an excruciating and hopeless case of unrequited love. And Yves Montand, who plays his uncle is flawless, like an Olivier, as he experiences a very cruel turn of fate. Emmanuelle Béart, who plays Manon, is very beautiful, but she is also strange enough to be believable in an unlikely role as a solitary shepherdess of the hills of Provence. Claude Berri's direction is so perfectly paced, so full of attention to detail and so unobtrusive and natural that the film just seems to happen without effort. Nothing fancy, just show what needs to be seen, no more. Use no more words than necessary, but all that are necessary. It's almost like magic, how easy it looks. The scene near the end when the blind woman reveals the cruel turn of fate to Papet is exquisite in its simplicity and its effectiveness. In a sense this movie is a throw back an earlier era in cinema when careful attention to the construction of a character-driven story was the essence of the art. (Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon!)

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• Your soul will be left glowing. These movies will shower you with gold.

  Pelrad1999-04-14

  For those of you English-only speakers who don't like sitting through foreign language films with either their dubbing or having to read subtitles, retain an open mind. Rent "Jean de Florette" and its second part "Manon of the Spring" tonight. Sit back and relax, and you will have more than just the wind knocked out of you from this cinematic masterpiece. The late Gene Siskel, bless his soul, placed these films on his top ten list for the year of 1987. The American Academy completely ignored these films; the British Academy awarded "Jean de Florette / Manon of the Spring" Best Film of the year. You will find tears coming to your eyes simply from seeing the stunning beauty of the French countryside and the farming life. It'll make city dwellers long to breath the fresh country air! You will be captivated by all the very unique characters brilliantly portrayed by the actors. A "hunchback" played by good old Gerard Depardieu is full of love for life and his veins are afire with excitement for putting into practice some innovative ideas about farming. But, little does he know that his neighbours, pretending to be friendly, are filled with greed and jealousy, and are plotting and scheming against him behind his back. Part 1: "Jean de Florette" ends tragically, but just wait till you see the sun of justice gradually rise in Part 2: "Manon of the Spring". At the end of "Jean de Florette", the "hunchback's" daughter overhears the neighbours talking and realises that they were scheming against their family the whole time and sabotaged their farming. In "Manon of the Spring", she has grown up, having kept to herself over the years. But she comes across farming neighbours talking about what happened in the past and she can no longer let them go unpunished. She burns up inside. What makes matters worse is that one of the neighbours that conspired against her father falls in love with her and chases her through the countryside, shouting, "Je t'aime! Je t'aime!" ("I love you! I love you!"). The film ends with a series of shocking revelations that the viewer could never have guessed. The plot comes full circle and couldn't be more ironically perfect! Your soul will be left glowing. These movies will shower you with gold. (10 out of 10 for both films)

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• A Good Sequel Than Needs To Be Seen With 'Jean de Florette'

  ccthemovieman-12006-05-22

  This is a good sequel to "Jean de Florette" which was made earlier in the year. Both movies should be seen back-to-back to make this story complete and comprehensible. Actually, this really could be called "Jean de Florette: Part Two." "Manon Of The Spring" features Emmanuelle Beart, who has to have one of the prettiest faces ever put on film. She plays the now-grown-up woman who gets revenge on the men who ruined her father when she was a little girl. As in the first film, this has interesting characters. The cinematography isn't quite as striking as "Florette," but still decent. There are some neat twists at the end of the story, tying all of it together. The 113-minute film starts slowly for the first third but then picks up nicely to become a memorable story. Remember, you shouldn't watch this film without seeing the one first.

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• One of the Very Best Films of the 1980s

  Chris_Middlebrow2001-09-07

  Manon of the Spring is the sequel to Jean de Florette, released the same year. By no means should Manon be rented without having first seen Jean. By no means, in either case, should one glance at the movie notes on the reverse side of the video box. Almost nothing can be said safely about Manon without giving away the overall plot or this or that twist or turn. Suffice to explain that Jean concerns an urbanite hunchback who relocates to the Provencal countryside with his wife and daughter, intent on raising rabbits. Manon picks up some years after the Jean conclusion, with the daughter having grown to young womanhood. (More prudish prospective viewers need to know that this will be explicitly evident.) This is superb movie-making. Other reviewers accurately call it a masterpiece. The story line dominates, not the acting. Even so, Yves Montand continues his excellent performance from Jean, and Daniel Auteuil as the unsightly nephew is more impressive after one sees him clean-cut and sophisticate in something like Un Coeur en Hiver (1992). Emmanuelle Beart and Hipployte Girardot say very little, yet it doesn't detract from their respective essential portrayals. Anyone who becomes a Beart fan is advised to rent Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud (1995). The two movies, prequel and sequel, work as a team. By virtue of its powerful denouement, however, Manon of the Spring is the standout of the pair. For the same reason, in my opinion, it is one of the very best films of the 1980s.

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• Revenge and Revelation

  claudio_carvalho2010-10-27

  Ten years after the death of Jean Cadoret, his wife has returned to the life of opera singer and his daughter Manon (Emmanuelle Béart) has grown up and become a gorgeous lonely shepherdess. Ugolin (Daniel Auteuil) is now a thirty year-old wealthy bachelor planting carnations. His grandfather Cesar Soubeyran (Yves Montand) presses him to get married to carry the name of their family since he is the last man alive. When Ugolin sees Manon on the fields, he falls in love with her, but the shy Manon is infatuated with the school teacher Bernard Olivier (Hippolyte Girardot). One day, Manon overhears the conversation of two locals about the vile action of Ugolin and Cesar and she plots revenge against the two scoundrels blocking the spring of the whole town. While the farmers and the dwellers despair and the mayor summons a water specialist from the city, the priest organizes a precession. Later Cesar has a conversation with the blind Delphine (Yvonne Gamy) that discloses a secret about his beloved Florette. Definitely "Jean de Florette" and "Manon des Sources" are among the best films I have ever seen. The revelation in the end of the story is unpredictable and closes this engaging story with golden key. The beauty of Emmanuelle Béart and the haunting music score are mesmerizing. I only regret that the Brazilian title is actually a spoiler. My vote is nine. Title (Brazil): "A Vingança de Manon" ("Manon's Revenge")

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