AshUnow
This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.
Marva-nova
Amazing worth wacthing. So good. Biased but well made with many good points.
Isbel
A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.
Tweekums
Set approximately ten years after the events in 'Jean de Florette' we return to the same sale area of Provence. Jean's daughter, Manon, is now a beautiful young woman tending goats in the rugged hills near where her father attempted to farm. Meanwhile life is good for César Soubeyran and his nephew Ugolin, the men who cheated Manon and her mother out of their home and whose actions lead to the death of her father. Ugolin has developed feelings for Manon; he spies on her and puts hares and thrushes in her traps... she seems keener on the new school teacher though. Then she overhears two hunters talking about what happened ten years previously; in particular how César and Ugolin had blocked the spring. It isn't long before she seeks her revenge.I really enjoyed 'Jean de Florette'; so much so that I watched this 'part two' within a week. I was pleased to find that this is at least as good as the first film... in fact I think I marginally preferred this one. No time is wasted explaining what happened in the first film so I would say that it is essential that you watch 'Jean de Florette' first. The story provides plenty of laughs as well as moments so tragic that one can't help feeling sorry for antagonists César and Ugolin. Emmanuelle Béart is a delight as Manon; making her seem simultaneously vulnerable and as tough as the goats she tends. Yves Montand and Daniel Auteuil are equally impressive as César and Ugolin. As one might expect there is another delightful recreation of inter-war France and lots of beautiful scenery that is great to look out but would be hard to work. Overall I'd say that if you enjoyed 'Jean de Florette' this is a must see; if you've yet to see that watch it before watching this.
Hitchcoc
One is so saddened by the cruelty shown in "Jean de Florette" one would think any sympathy for the two men would be impossible. Manon, the daughter of the cruelly treated hunchback, has stayed behind and is living with an old woman. She is utterly beautiful. Ugolin, who has done her great harm, falls madly in love with her, after he sees her bathing in the nude in a little pool in the rocks.. His uncle, his co-conspirator in the manipulation of the spring in the first movie, wants him married so he can carry on the family name. However, he is not an attractive man and she is both frightened and repulsed by him. She watched him dig up their concrete, releasing the water they had trapped, shortly after the death of her beloved father. Manon gets her revenge by finding an underground source for the water and bringing fear and drought to the population that had wronged her family for no reason. the whole community is beside itself and she blames the two men in the public square as they desperately try to go on. The acting is so precise and believable. The movie is so tight and so terse that we are in on every moment. And we learn that decent men sometimes do terrible things. What an outstanding movie.
Red-Barracuda
Manon des Sources is the second part of Jean de Florette. It's important to point out that it is a continuation of the story not a sequel. It takes on the narrative ten years down the line where Papet and Ugolin are reaping the benefits of cheating Jean from his land. Meanwhile Jean's daughter Manon (the beautiful Emmanuele Béart) roams the surrounding hills with her herd of goats - a constant reminder to the two men of the terrible injustice they committed against her and her family. To make matters a little more complicated Ugolin falls in love with this now gorgeous young woman, while she in turn falls for a local teacher. Manon still understandably holds a huge grudge against the men who she knows were indirectly responsible for her father's death, and the villagers too who she discovers knew of the scheming but did nothing. When she discovers the source of the water that feeds the village her revenge is set into motion...As a pair of movies Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources are a terrific example of the French heritage film. These movies play upon notions of nostalgia for a bygone era in France. The rural setting is beautifully evoked but more importantly the storyline is consistently strong and compelling, with great performances from all actors across both movies. If anything Manon des Sources is the greater of the two films, as it essentially satisfyingly concludes the storyline and gives the closure that we the audience want. The villains meet suitable ends and Manon herself finds true happiness. This summary may seem very hackneyed to anyone who has not seen them but these movies are handled with such a beautiful touch that their traditional narratives seem perfect. That said, the ending does provide us with a great little twist in a magnificent scene between Papet and a blind woman called Delphine. This revelatory scene in a graveyard offers a whole new dimension to the film and adds to the overall whole immeasurably.Jean de Florette and Manos des Sources are I suppose old fashioned movies in many respects. But they are old fashioned in the best ways. They offer quality cinema without patronising the viewer and have enough twists and turns and emotional involvement to satisfy the most jaded of cinema fans. A definite treat.
Claudio Carvalho
Ten years after the death of Jean Cadoret, his wife has returned to the life of opera singer and his daughter Manon (Emmanuelle Béart) has grown up and become a gorgeous lonely shepherdess. Ugolin (Daniel Auteuil) is now a thirty year-old wealthy bachelor planting carnations. His grandfather Cesar Soubeyran (Yves Montand) presses him to get married to carry the name of their family since he is the last man alive. When Ugolin sees Manon on the fields, he falls in love with her, but the shy Manon is infatuated with the school teacher Bernard Olivier (Hippolyte Girardot). One day, Manon overhears the conversation of two locals about the vile action of Ugolin and Cesar and she plots revenge against the two scoundrels blocking the spring of the whole town. While the farmers and the dwellers despair and the mayor summons a water specialist from the city, the priest organizes a precession. Later Cesar has a conversation with the blind Delphine (Yvonne Gamy) that discloses a secret about his beloved Florette.Definitely "Jean de Florette" and "Manon des Sources" are among the best films I have ever seen. The revelation in the end of the story is unpredictable and closes this engaging story with golden key. The beauty of Emmanuelle Béart and the haunting music score are mesmerizing. I only regret that the Brazilian title is actually a spoiler. My vote is nine.Title (Brazil): "A Vingança de Manon" ("Manon's Revenge")
