Jean de Florette (1986)

User Rating:

7.9/10   

Director:

Claude Berri

Writers:

Claude Berri (adaptation)
Gérard Brach (adaptation)
(more)

Release Date:

August 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

A greedy landowner and his backward nephew conspire to block the only water source for an adjoining property in order to bankrupt the owner and force him to sell.

Plot Keywords:

Water | Spring | Flower | Nephew | Rural

Awards:

Nominated for Golden Globe. Another 10 wins & 15 nominations

Cast

Yves Montand	...	Cesar Soubeyran dit 'Le Papet'
Gérard Depardieu	...	Jean de Florette (as Gerard Depardieu)
Daniel Auteuil	...	Ugolin
Elisabeth Depardieu	...	Aimee Cadoret
Margarita Lozano	...	Baptistine
Ernestine Mazurowna	...	Manon Cadoret enfant
Armand Meffre	...	Philoxéne
André Dupon	...	Pamphile, le menuisier (as Andre Dupon)
Pierre Nougaro	...	Casimir
Jean Maurel	...	Anglade
Roger Souza	...	Ange
Didier Pain	...	Eliacin
Pierre-Jean Rippert	...	Pascal
Marc Betton	...	Martial
Clement Cal	...	Méderic
Benedetto Bertino	...	Giuseppe
Marcel Champel	...	Pique-Bouffigue
Chantal Liennel	...	Amandine
Fransined	...	Le fleuriste
Marcel Berbert	...	Le notaire
Christian Tamisier	...	Le docteur
Jo Doumerg	...	Le muletier

Directed by
Claude Berri

Writing credits (in alphabetical order)
Claude Berri		adaptation
Gérard Brach		adaptation (as Gerard Brach)
Marcel Pagnol		novel

Produced by
Pierre Grunstein	....	executive producer
Alain Poiré	....	associate producer

Original Music by
Jean-Claude Petit

Non-Original Music by
Giuseppe Verdi		(from opera "La Forza del Destino")

Cinematography by
Bruno Nuytten

Film Editing by
Noëlle Boisson		(as Noelle Boisson)
Sophie Coussein
Hervé de Luze		(as Herve De Luze)
Jeanne Kef		(as Jeanne Keff)
Arlette Langmann
Corinne Lazare
Catherine Serris

Casting by
Marie-Christine Lafosse

Production Design by
Bernard Vézat		(as Bernard Vezat)

Set Decoration by
Olivier Coutagne
François Dariani
Françoise Doré

Costume Design by
Sylvie Gautrelet

Makeup Department
Pierre Bellis	....	hair stylist
Pierre Bellis	....	makeup artist
Jean-Pierre Berroyer	....	hair stylist
Michel Deruelle	....	hair stylist
Michel Deruelle	....	makeup artist
Jean-Pierre Eychenne	....	hair stylist
Jean-Pierre Eychenne	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Jacques Allaire	....	unit manager
Frédéric Auburtin	....	unit manager (as Frederic Auburtin)
Olivier Austen	....	unit manager
Marie-Françoise Eugene	....	unit manager
Pascal Klein	....	unit manager
Jacky Lapointe	....	unit manager
Alain Olivieri	....	unit manager
Philippe Savournin	....	unit manager
Janou Shammas	....	unit manager
Roland Thénot	....	production manager (as Roland Thenot)

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Pascal Baeumler	....	assistant director
Xavier Castano	....	assistant director
Isabelle Henri	....	assistant director (as Isabelle Henry)
Emmanuel Touraille	....	assistant director

Art Department
Jean-Pierre Cognard	....	assistant decorator
Jean Marc Druais	....	assistant decorator (as Jean-Marc Druais)
Thomas Godelle	....	assistant decorator
Marcel Laude	....	property master
Christian Marti	....	assistant decorator
Patrick Martin	....	assistant decorator
Christian Tamisier	....	assistant decorator

Sound Department
Jocelyne Cartier-Stern	....	dubbing (as Jocelyne Cartier)
Bernard Chaumeil	....	boom operator
Pierre Gamet	....	sound
François Groult	....	assistant sound mixer
Dominique Hennequin	....	sound
Gérard Lamps	....	sound recordist (as Gerard Lamps)
Alain Lévy	....	foley artist (as Alain Levy)
Jacques Lévy	....	dubbing (as Jacques Levy)
Jérôme Lévy	....	foley artist (as Jerome Levy)
Eric Mauer	....	sound editor
Laurent Quaglio	....	sound

Special Effects by
Blandine Duparc	....	special effects
Christian Guillon	....	special effects
Christian Marti	....	special effects
Jean-Marc Mouligne	....	special effects
Paul Trielli	....	special effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Jean-Luc Bezeau	....	grip
Louis Bihi	....	electrician
Bernard Brégier	....	grip (as Bernard Bregier)
Gerard Buffard	....	grip
Bernard Caroff	....	electrician
Rémy Chevrin	....	assistant camera (as Remy Chevrin)
Benoît Delhomme	....	assistant camera (as Benoit Delhomme)
Etienne George	....	still photographer
Franck Landron	....	assistant camera
Gilles Lienard	....	electrician
Pierre Novion	....	assistant camera
Georges Pierre	....	still photographer
Bernard Prim	....	still photographer
Gérard Rival	....	grip (as Gerard Rival)
Christian Weyers	....	electrician

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Madeline Fontaine	....	costumer
Simone Leroy	....	costumer
Paule Mangenot	....	costumer
Gil Noir	....	costumer
Michèle Richer	....	costumer (as Michele Richer)
Catherine Taisson	....	costumer
Claudia Tenaglia	....	costumer

Music Department
Maurice Guis	....	musician: psalterion
Jean-Claude Petit	....	conductor
Virginie Petit	....	musical director
Toots Thielemans	....	musician: harmonica solo

Other crew
Michel Andre	....	animal director
Josée Bénabent-Loiseau	....	press attache (as Josee Benabent Loiseau)
Eve Brenner	....	voice: "Madame"
Bernard Bruna	....	animal director
Jean-Paul Camail	....	location manager
Frederic Fouille	....	location manager (as Frederic Fouillé)
Denise Henry	....	production secretary
Gilles Loutfi	....	location manager
Andre Pavon	....	animal director
Hélène Sebillotte	....	script supervisor (as Helene Sebillotte)
Tamara Setton	....	administrator
Colette Suder	....	administrator
Jackline Tolianker	....	production secretary (as Jacqueline Tolianker)
Dominique Trebert	....	location manager

Thanks
Jacqueline Pagnol	....	dedicatee
Marcel Pagnol	....	dedicatee

Production Companies

• DD Productions
• Films A2
• Radiotelevisione Italiana (RAI)
• Renn Productions
• Télévision Suisse-Romande (TSR)

Distributors

• Orion Classics (1987) (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Transmundo Films (1987) (Argentina) (theatrical)
• Orion Home Video (1988) (USA) (VHS)
• Transmundo Home Video (THV) (????) (Argentina) (video)
• MGM Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment (2007) (USA) (DVD)
• AMLF (1986) (France) (theatrical)
• Finnkino (1988) (Finland) (theatrical)
• Future Film (2009) (Finland) (DVD)
• Home Video Hellas (HVH) (1988) (Greece) (VHS)
• Mainostelevisio (MTV) (1991) (Finland) (TV)
• Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) (1991) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Umbrella Entertainment (2003) (Australia) (DVD)
• YLE Teema (2006) (Finland) (TV)
• Yleisradio (YLE) (1997) (Finland) (TV)

Other Companies

• Annamode 68  costumes
• Cobra  relocation
• Ditta Pompei  shoes
• Studio Davout  music recorded at
• Studio Guillaume Tell  music mixing

Runtime:

120 min

Country:

France | Switzerland | Italy

Language:

French

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Netherlands:AL | Singapore:PG | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Norway:12 | Sweden:Btl | UK:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Ansouis, Vaucluse, France

Company:

DD Productions

Goofs:

Factual errors: During one scene, Cesar Soubeyran (Montand) produces a small telescope in order to spy on Jean de Florette (Depardieu); however, as he peers through it, the lens cap is clearly in place.

Quotes:

Casimir: I suppose you are going to be charitable and buy the farm?
Ugolin: That depends, what do you think it is worth?
Casimir: Not much, certainly not the life of a man.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Simpsons: The Crepes of Wrath (#1.11)" (1990)

Breathtaking motion picture classic from the French countryside

Of all the French movies I've ever seen (and I've seen quite a bunch of them, let me tell ya) Claude Berri's "Jean de Florette" has to be one of the best if not the best. I saw this couple of times in the television some years ago and recently bought the DVD just to find out that this film seems to be excellent no matter how often and many times I decide to watch it.

"Jean de Florette" works in so many different levels. I love the breathtaking settings, beautiful French countryside - superterranean paradise. Actors are magnificent, Gérard Depardieu has a long and respected career in the cinema but if you ask me the role of Jean de Florette is truly the very greatest performance of his life. Yves Montand and Daniel Auteuil equally shine as the greedy and devious Soubeyrans.

Characters are simply incredible. Naturally audience immediately loves the hunchback. He's so warm, nice, sympathetic, unyielding and persistent yet jovial - truly the amiable hero of the story. However, no one can't help of loving those crooked rogues as well. They are so incomprehensibly mean it's definitely comical.

That's what makes "Jean de Florette" such a great and memorable experience. It's a very sad and tragic story but it makes you laugh a lot. In the same time it manages to be extremely cruel, funny and touching. This is exactly what movies are made of. It's safe to call "Jean de Florette" a perfection, powerful and stirring motion picture experience and a grand classic everyone should watch. 10/10.