#1257: BERRI, Claude: Jean de Florette / Manon of the Spring: Two Films by Claude Berri (1986)

BERRI, Claude (France)
Jean de Florette [1986] / Manon of the Spring [1986]
Spine #1257
Blu-ray


A sprawling tale of greed, betrayal, and revenge plays out amid the bucolic splendor of the French countryside in Claude Berri’s masterly two-film adaptation of a literary work by the legendary Marcel Pagnol. Spanning three generations in the lives of two families, Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring vividly recreate the provincial world of an early-twentieth-century village, where an outsider’s arrival sets in motion a devastating chain of events. With gorgeous cinematography, keen insights into human nature, and superb performances from icons of French cinema (Gérard Depardieu, Yves Montand, Daniel Auteuil, and Emmanuelle Béart), these richly absorbing moral tales—at the time of their production, the most expensive French films ever made—are triumphs of epic storytelling in the classical tradition.

Jean de Florette

121 minutes
5.0 Surround
in French
Color
2:35:1

Manon of the Spring
113 minutes
5.0 Surround
in French
Color
2:35:1

Criterion Release 2025


Directors/Writer

Claude Berri was 52 when he directed Jean de Florette and Manon of the Spring.

The Films

a

Film Rating (0-60):

60

The Extras

The Booklet

Commentary

Video tribute

Documentary 1

Documentary 2

Documentary 3

Controversial altered ending

Theatrical trailer


Extras Rating (0-40):

39

60 + 39 =

By Spine #

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