While I'm on the subject of period films set in Provence, these two films follow yesterday's post of the films My Father's Glory and My Mother's Castle, Marcel Pagnol's reminiscences of his life as a child in Provence at the turn of the 20th century. These two are film adaptations of Marcel Pagnol's novels Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring. also period pieces set in Provence and also very highly recommended, if you haven't seen them. IMDB gives them an 8.1
Yves Montand (The Wages Of Fear) and Gerard Depardieu (Cyrano de Bergerac) star in Jean de Florette, a timeless tale of greed, survival and fate. Set amidst the rugged hills of Provence, this epic saga follows the heroic efforts of Jean Cadoret (Depardieu), who inherits a farm from his mother, Florette, and leaves his city job behind, hoping to create a "new Eden", with his wife and daughter. But, unbeknownst to Jean, his greedy neighbor, Cesar Soubeyran (Montand), is plotting to steal the land out from under him with a wicked scheme that drives Jean to the brink of madness!
Ten years after her fathers death, Manon (Emmanuelle Beart, Un Coeur en Hiver) has no idea that her neighbor Cesar Soubeyran (Montand) cheated her out of her fathers land. But when Manon discovers that Soubeyran was directly responsible for her fathers death, she goes after him with a vengeance in this "epic [and] rousing tale of retribution", (Newsweek)! Daniel Auteuil (Cache, 36th Precinct) also stars.
Greg