MANON OF THE SPRING
A film review by Wayne Citrin
Copyright 1987 Wayne Citrin
Just caught a local sneak preview yesterday of MANON OF THE SPRING, the second part of JEAN DE FLORETTE. I gave JEAN DE FLORETTE a favorable (3 stars out 4) review about a month ago, and reported that it seemed to stand on its own even though it was the first part of a two-part work. In this it differs from MANON OF THE SPRING, which I believe cannot be properly appreciated without having seen the first part. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, since it may spoil it for those who haven't seen JEAN DE FLORETTE, but it is safe to report that MANON OF THE SPRING is the story of the revenge taken by the daughter of Jean on Papet and Ugolin, which is to be expected by those who saw the first film. The way in which this revenge unfolded was somewhat of a surprise (at least to me), although what was not a surprise was the way in which the second film clarifies the personal relationships that were only hinted at in the first film.
MANON OF THE SPRING moves more quickly than JEAN DE FLORETTE, due to the larger number of locations and characters and the broader sweep of the plot, which takes in the whole town, unlike the first film which concentrated on the struggle over a single farm. The acting and production are up to the high standards of the first film and, if anything, the portrayal of the dynamics of provincial village life in southern France between the wars is even better. Again, the characters are well-rounded and well-motivated, even the nominal villains.
Ideally, the best way to see this film is as a double feature with an intermission, as I did last night. Seeing MANON OF THE SPRING alone is less satisfying, particularly if one has not seen JEAN DE FLORETTE. For those who have seen JEAN DE FLORETTE, however, I give MANON OF THE SPRING the same three stars out of four.
Wayne Citrin (ucbvax!citrin)
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