Manon of the Spring (1986)

“He’s such a bigot he might confess other people’s sins.” – Cesar Soubeyran

Number of Times Seen – 1 (9 Sep 2018)

Brief Synopsis – Ten years after the events of the first film, the same greedy landowners try to find a way to ensure that the land they own will stay in their own family even after they eventually die.

My Take on it – This is a sequel to the film Jean de Florette (1986) and takes place ten years after the events of that film.

They let us see how everything that transpired in the previous film have affected the characters in the time since then.

It’s so interesting to see how things have changed yet stayed the same over the ten intervening years yet we can obviously see that certain things still weigh heavy on their hearts despite it all.

This film has the characters try and define their own humanity and begin to think about what will happen to their land and possessions once they are gone since neither of them has any real heir besides the other.

They once again allow to see how life was lived in such areas and it all feels quite genuine and authentic the entire time.

The characters played by Yves Montand and Daniel Auteuil are both given even more depth in this film and we get to see how each is internally affected by the crimes they have committed in the past.

Bottom Line – Great sequel that continues the story of the previous film and show the various repercussions of the events that happened about a decade earlier.  We once again get a clear idea of how life in such a place might have been lived and how things have changed yet stayed the same over the period of time. The two main characters are given even more depth in this film because we get to see how they are each affected in different ways by all that has transpired. Recommended!

MovieRob’s Favorite Trivia – Yves Montand was raised in the area where the story takes place and had been a friend of Marcel Pagnol. Nevertheless he rejected the role when it was first offered. Montand was ultimately persuaded to take his role by wife Simone Signoret, who died during production. (From IMDB)

Rating – Globe Worthy (8/10)

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