Last week I blogged about one of the movies I watch when I need to vicariously visit France...French Kiss. A blog friend, Isabelle who lives outside of Paris, responded with some recommendations for other movies that I might enjoy. Taking her advice, I ordered them. This pair came on Friday, and I watched Jean de Florette last night. If you click on the link, you'll go to the Wikipedia entry about the movie. It explains the plot in detail and also relates how this movie and Manon of the Spring were filmed together over several months in the heart of Provence. Watching Jean last evening, I felt transported to rural Provence post WWI. This is rural Provence of the garrigue and of small poor farms and tiny villages, and not the Provence of lovely vineyards and luxurious chateaus. If you follow this link, you can see a map of the area around Vaugines where the movie was filmed. This is definitely 'my' part of Provence as I've spent time in some of the villages shown on the map.The story was a bit sad, but as it ended, I felt encouraged that Part II...Manon of the Spring will bring at least a sense of justice and retribution for the wrongs that Jean suffered. I'll let you know in my next blog entry as I plan to watch Part II tonight.
Thank you, Isabelle, for the great recommendations!
1 comment:
Dear Evelyn, I'm so happy that you've watched these movies. They were HUGE hits when they were released in France some 20 years ago. I remember going to the movies with my grandmother to watch them. What memories! The music (from Verdi I found out not long ago) is also a real character in the movies I think.
I'm sure that you've been very moved by the end of Manon of the Springs. I had myself tears in my eyes, and so did everybody in the movie theater around me...
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