Manon of the Spring (1986)

A beautiful but shy shepherdess plots vengeance on the men whose greedy conspiracy to acquire her father's land caused his death years earlier.

Director:

Claude Berri

Writers:

Claude Berri (adaptation), Gérard Brach (adaptation) (as Gerard Brach)

Stars:

Yves Montand, Emmanuelle Béart, Daniel Auteuil

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 4 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Yves Montand	...	Cesar Soubeyran dit 'Le Papet'
Daniel Auteuil	...	Ugolin
Emmanuelle Béart	...	Manon (as Emmanuelle Beart)
Hippolyte Girardot	...	Bernard Olivier
Margarita Lozano	...	Baptistine
Yvonne Gamy	...	Delphine
Ticky Holgado	...	Le Spécialiste (as Tiki Olgado)
Jean Bouchaud	...	Le Curé
Elisabeth Depardieu	...	Aimee Cadoret
Gabriel Bacquier	...	Victor
Armand Meffre	...	Philoxène
André Dupon	...	Pamphile, le menuisier
Pierre Nougaro	...	Casimir
Jean Maurel	...	Anglade
Roger Souza	...	Ange, le fontainier

Storyline

In this, the sequel to Jean de Florette, Manon (Beart) has grown into a beautiful young shepherdess living in the idyllic Provencal countryside. She determines to take revenge upon the men responsible for the death of her father in the first film.

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Plot Keywords:

spring | revenge | goatherd | sequel | countryside of provence | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

The story was originally told in a 1952 film of the same title, written and directed by Marcel Pagnol. Pagnol's initial cut ran over four hours, and was drastically shortened by the studio. Disappointed by this, Pagnol adapted his screenplay into a pair of novels. Years later Claude Berri happened upon a copy of the book that had been left behind in a hotel room. He loved the story, and decided to adapt it into a pair of films.

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Goofs

When Manon talks to the teacher in the field, she says the rocks 'are Cretaceous, they're all from the Quaternary'. These are two separate geological time periods.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[dialog in French, lines from English subtitles]
Le Fleuriste: Voila!
[pause]
Le Fleuriste: Next time I won't pay this much. The competition from Italy is ruining me.
Cesar Soubeyran: This barely pays for the fertilizer for the flowers. Next year we'll grow chickpeas.
Le Fleuriste: I'll miss our aperitifs together.

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Connections

Referenced in Grand public: Episode dated 26 September 1986 (1986)

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Soundtracks

Le Mariage de Manon
Lyrics by David McNeil
Performed by Gabriel Bacquier and Ève Brenner

User Reviews

A sequel that is almost better than the original

This is my favourite French movie of all time. The cycle of life and death, as symbolized at the wedding at the end while one of the characters visits the cemetary, is so poetically portrayed in this movie. Nobody is crudely and simply drawn here--you understand motivation, human nature, and the capacity for both good and evil that exists in all of us. The film would also be an excellent travelogue of Provence, and its slow, deliberate pacing enables you to envelop yourself in a story that unveils itself in its own sweet time. Even though Daniel Auteil's character was supposed to be evil, his love for Manon was so heartbreakingly portrayed you couldn't help but feel for him. And of course what can be said about Yves Montand--he can say more with one raised eyebrow on that great wrinkled face than Bruce Willis can mumble in an entire movie...the highest recommendation for both Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring

Details

Country:

Switzerland Italy France

Language:

French

Release Date:

4 December 1987 (USA)

Also Known As:

Manon of the Spring

Filming Locations:

Ansouis, Vaucluse, France

Box Office

Gross USA:

$3,940,542

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,940,542

Company Credits

Production Co:

DD Productions, Films A2, RAI Radiotelevisione Italiana

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1