In a rural French village, an old man and his only remaining relative cast their covetous eyes on an adjoining vacant property. They need its spring water for growing their flowers, and are dismayed to hear that the man who has inherited it is moving in. They block up the spring and watch as their new neighbour tries to keep his crops watered from wells far afield through the hot summer. Though they see his desperate efforts are breaking his health and his wife and daughter's hearts, they think only of getting the water.
Yves Montand
as César Soubeyran, aka 'le Papet'
Gérard Depardieu
as Jean Cadoret, hunchback, son of Florette
Daniel Auteuil
as Ugolin Soubeyran, nephew of Papet
Elisabeth Depardieu
as Aimée Cadoret, wife of Jean
Margarita Lozano
as Baptistine, Piedmontese of the cave
Ernestine Mazurowna
as Manon Cadoret, daughter of Jean & Aimée
Armand Meffre
as Philoxène, mayor
André Dupon
as Pamphile, joiner
Pierre Nougaro
as Casimir
Jean Maurel
as Anglade, believer
Nutshell
sub·tle (adjective) Definition: making use of clever and indirect methods to achieve something. One of the most celebrated French films of the 1980s, and with good reason. I don't think there's ever been a film that better depicts evil so subtlety well as Jean de Florette, specifically in terms o...
Filipe Manuel Neto
**The power of envy and the ineffectiveness of farming by handbooks.** The film is quite good, perhaps one of the best French films I've seen this year, which whets the appetite for the sequel, which is reputed to be even better. Simple, this film begins with the cunning maneuvers of a wealthy Pr...
CinemaSerf
"Ugolin" (Daniel Auteuil) returns from the war to his wealthy uncle "Papet" (Yves Montant) with some inspiration. He doesn't divulge his cunning plan until he is ready, and then presents the man with some perfectly cultivated carnations. It turns out there's money in flowers, but they also need a gr...