Manon of the Spring

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Theodore W May 16, 2018 It may be lacking the force of the first film, nevertheless it completes the story in a compelling manner, leaving even a more pensive residue than its predecessor, when you see the whole picture of what has transpired. In overall, the two films constitute a beautiful story that is as powerful as it is entertaining. See more

Harry P Nov 25, 2017 It is frustrating that Manon is such a weak and poorly-written character, which makes her "revenge" feel much less deserved, even though the film unfolds like a true Greek tragedy and is able to move us with a touching ending and the strength of Yves Montand's performance. See more

Harry S Sep 11, 2017 in my top 5 movies of all time along with "jean de florette"

Finn R Jan 15, 2017 Manon of the Spring is a film that holds up on its own, but you should see Jean de Florette first to fully appreciate Claude Berri's epic. Part 2 is more melodramatic than the first, but it unfolds like a Greek tragedy, full of poetic justice. I found it a little odd that Manon has little to say in the film, despite being the title character. But then I considered the way her character was depicted in the first film. As a child, Manon was taciturn, but quietly observed and understood everything around her. The fact that Emmanuelle Beart looks like a young Elisabeth Depardieu, the wife of Gerard Depardieu, who portrayed the character's parents in the first film, also lends a sort of realness to the film. See more

Luke R Jan 5, 2017 The sequel (or really the second part) to Jean de Florette (1986) picks up the action maybe 9 or 10 years later, when Daniel Auteuil's intellectually impaired flower farmer has taken over Depardieu's land and, with the benefit of the now-unplugged spring, is doing reasonably well. Depardieu's daughter, played now by Emanuelle Beart, is a goatherd who keeps her distance from the town, although she does catch the eye of the new teacher, as well as the eye of Auteuil. Yves Montand, perhaps the only character who we can "read" (because his thoughts are deeper and he reveals them in his speech), is still standing back orchestrating his nephew Auteuil's life, encouraging him to pursue Beart to keep his family name alive. At first, I felt that this second part was merely a retread, with Beart now turning the tables on Montand and Auteuil and the villagers by stopping up their water supply. The countryside was still gorgeous and the village life of the 1920's (or thereabouts?) still rustic and authentically portrayed (as far as one can tell). But when the plot takes a sudden twist (or two), the results now seem Shakespearean or at least fabulistic, adding gravitas which had been absent until then. Seen in combination, the two parts do work although one wonders whether, with judicious editing, they might fit together as one long single film; that said, I gladly took two shorter sessions. Now, I think I might try to track down the Pagnol originals (of which these were remakes). See more

Abraham G Aug 27, 2012 Beart bewitches in this stunning tail of revenge and betrayal. Must be seen with its predecessor, Jean de Florette. Profoundly moving. See more

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Manon of the Spring

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