Word: manon
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...action is, the big city has been the focus of most films made over the past few decades. In his epic depiction of events in a small town in Provence, Director Claude Berri defies this tradition of citification. In both Jean de Florette and its recently released sequel, Manon of the Spring, Berri proves that a sleepy rural village may not always be quite what it seems...
...Manon of the Spring picks up the story after a gap of a decade or so, when the hunchback's daughter Manon (Emmanuelle Beart) decides to take her revenge. Although both films were made at the same time and star mostly the same actors, Manon was released separately, both here and in France. You do not really have to have seen the first half to enjoy Manon, but it helps...
...director. He has turned an apparently handsome actor into a rat-faced, bucktoothed farmer. And Auteuil's appearance isn't the only thing that makes his character seem real. As he galumphs across the screen, utters phrases whose humor he cannot comprehend, and makes abortive attempts to win Manon's heart, he seems to be the archetypal peasant...
...Berri's cinematography sets out to record the archetypical Provencal village. Barri shoots glassy stares at the Midi countryside as easily as close-ups of Ugolin's unshaven cheek or Papet at the table. Unfortunately, Manon appears to be just another landscape. Beart is an extraordinary beauty. She has long blond hair and baby-blue eyes and a face that could launch a thousand ships. But she has almost no lines in the entire two hours of the film...
...Manon of the Spring is like a child's fairy tale. It's simple and hearty, and though its enduring sadness prevents it from warming the cockles of its audience's heart, it is certain to leave even the sternest critic with a feeling of satisfaction...