Jean de Florette (1986) (2024)

Popular reviews

• Review by Naughty aka Juli Norwood ★★★★★ 5

  Greed transforms men into morally and ethically bankrupt degenerates whom plot against their neighbor in hopes of destroying his dream, crushing the man and ultimately swindling him out of his land! By hook or crook nothing will stop them in their wicked endeavors!

  Director Claude Berri delivers a magnificent soul crushing french tragedy featuring french superstars of film Yves Montand, Gérard Depardieu and Daniel Auteuil!

  The haunting score "the force of destiny" a mournful tune that reflects the emotional undercurrents of the film with notes only the human heart can decipher!

  A fiendishly diabolical plot that is as excruciatingly cruel as it is beautifully told! The cinematography is jaw dropping splendor on a stick!

• Review by Ben Hibburd ☘🏀 ★★★★½ 8

  There's nothing better than being swept away by a film that you had absolutely zero expectations for. I picked up "Jean de Florette" and its sequel at my local charity shop mainly because we don't get many foreign language films come in. The front cover of the film inspired absolutely no confidence but for a couple of penny's why not?

  Regardless, the film has been sitting on my bottom shelf (if a film ends up there it's unlikely to ever see the light of day) for the last few years collecting dust. Thankfully, the one positive of self-isolating for almost an entire year is that I've practically watched all the films in my 'to-be-watched' pile. There must've been at-least a…

• Review by Josh Gillam ★★★★½

  MILD SPOILERS

  Jean de Florette (along with its follow-up, which was shot back-to-back) stood on release as the most expensive French film project ever made up to that point, ending up becoming a huge hit in the process.

  That production quality shows in every exquisite frame, capturing the beautiful Provence countryside in all its glory as the backdrop for a quietly heartbreaking story to take place in, this deceptively simple narrative with infused with a fable-like quality as good-hearted Jean (Gérard Depardieu) faces hardship from the machinations of his callous and greedy neighbours (Yves Montand and Daniel Auteuil).

  Through his struggles this becomes a…

• Review by DirkH ★★★★★ 33

  Recommended to me on my Lend Me Your Heart List ( Which can be found here)

  Mon dieu....

  This film celebrates life in all its glory and pettiness, sweeping us along on an epic and engrossing journey of the titular Jean and depicting life in rural France in a beautifully and disturbingly realistic way.

  The story starts out lighthearted with an almost farcically comic touch. It has a pleasant tone to it and comes across as rather innocent. Two local farmers try to buy the land next to them because it has a spring and they want to grow flowers for which they need a lot of water. Their exploits and plans to get the land are amusing, especially when…

• Review by Evan T ★★★★½

  So much wow. One of those novelistic near-masterpieces that deserves a hell of a lot more attention than it gets. Jean de Florette was revered on release, so why is it that people rarely talk about it anymore? This thing is like a French fusion of Days of Heaven and There Will Be Blood, and honestly, I’m all here for it. Yves Montand gives Day-Lewis’ Daniel Plainview a run for his money, and the rural landscapes of Provence are just heavenly. It has a few technical quirks that take some getting used to, and suffers the same languorous pace of most agricultural dramas, but that barely detracts from the magic of its operatic aura and rolling hills. At its core, it showcases the natural beauty of the world in all its glory, and how that’s always juxtaposed with the inherent cruelty of it. The good and the pitiful fail, whilst the evil and greedy prosper. The incongruous facts of life.

• Review by Jonathan White ★★★★ 4

  It’s very hard to say anything without delving into spoiler territory. It would be safe to say that Jean de Florette defies easy categorization because of its rather unique tonal shift and dramatic arc. It’s well worth a watch, particularly because of its unusual shifts and masterful performances, but if you’re sensitive to knowing anything, like me, please exit the building now.

  *mild spoilers – no specific details, but the unique arc is revealed*

  With a beginning that signals intentions to be a rogue dry and dark comedy about the adventures and misadventures of a nephew just returning from the army, who may be a few plums short of a pie, and his land owner uncle whose mission is to…

• Review by Chris ★★★★

  There Will Be Water

  It's even more tragic the second time around :(

• Review by Ford H ★★★★½ 2

  Incredible film. I’m tempted to give this five stars. Might even go in my top 100. Martin Scorsese has seen this movie, right? Very much reminded me of Killers of the Flower Moon. Except, instead of violence, it’s secrets and inaction, and a story about cultivating crops.

  An uncle and nephew find a spring underneath the land next to their home, but they keep it a secret, because the property is being inherited by a city man, played by Gérard Depardieu. We witness all the good plans that this city-man-turned-farmer has, and it mostly works out for him, except it’s now summertime, and there’s a water problem. The nephew is very friendly to the city man, but it’s mostly a…

• Review by Milo Paulus ★★★★★ 11

  This film feels like a novel in its richness of detail and has the scope of an opera and the precision of a short story. The story is lovely and sad, the direction is light almost comedic, the images are beautiful, and there is no singular viewpoint to enable the audience to side with a particular character. We see the strong love between the grandson and his relative, but also the underlying greed and selfish motivations. The camera does not waste too much time on languid shops of lush landscape, but involves them almost as another character.

  Jean de Florette is a historic countryside epic which examines themes like interpersonal relations, greed, faith and the distinctions between human goodness and…

• Review by Edgar Cochran ✝️ ★★★★★ 4

  It could have been conceived as a four-hour epic and it still would not lose its magic. Berri's wonderful and visually stunning adaptation could also be interpreted as a reflection of the Turkish masterpiece Susuz Yaz (1964), and how that precious resource called "water" still awakens the greed even in the most uncivilized human beings. Terrific score by Jean-Claude Petit and magnificent landscapes, with a surprisingly decent Depardieu and the always immortal Yves Montand.

  96/100

• Review by Laura Aurelia Greene ★★★★½

  This review may contain spoilers. I can handle the truth.

  Jean de Florette is a beautifully sentimental film that I thoroughly enjoyed. The French countryside was visually charming, and the stirring soundtrack enhanced the viewing experience. The village, rather than being populated by stereotypical gossiping women, is full of disapproving farmers who spend their time playing boules and commenting on Jean's presence.

  It is heart-wrenching to watch the conspiracy of Jean's downfall while Ugolin poses as his helpful neighbor and friend. The "villains" display the powerful envy and greed of men, intent on profiting from Jean's inheritance. Jean's unmerited misfortune, amiable manner, and devotion to his family present him almost as a Greek tragic hero. We love him and pity his continued optimism, which is met with increasing setbacks and ultimately his tragic death.

  The ending left me eagerly anticipating what I hope will be Manon's plotting of Papet and Ugolin's delightful demise. Part 2 cannot come soon enough!

• Review by Pate Duncan ★★ 3

  A movie made to be wheeled into a French classroom in middle school and watched on a VCR. The narrative strength of its dramatic irony is the only saving grace for this exhausting movie.