Friday, May 25, 2012

Jean de Florette/Manon of the Spring (1986)


Director: Claude Berri

 I'm writing about these two movies as one because they're basically one four hour long movie. They were intended as one and only split because they would be quite long to watch at once for most people. Both films would be fairly flawed if experienced individually. But as a whole they are an engaging viewing experience that serves as a morality play of unintended consequences. The film has a sold narrative, identifiable characters, and easy messages. The movie is a period pieces based on a book, so it's basically equivalent to the awards-bait type movies we see here in the United States, but that does not mean its bad.

The long running time allows for the film to breath and the pacing is smooth and easy. The movie is relaxed, but never too slow. The payoffs of the film though are not all that surprising or emotional which they're supposed to be. The story is predictable so the payoffs aren't too effective on an emotional standpoint, but the messages of those payoffs are definitely felt, though they aren't completely unique. In the end the film is one of those period pieces that would have won all the Oscars if it were made in America, so depending on how you feel about those kind of movies, this may or may not be for you.

Grade: B

No comments:

Post a Comment