JEAN DE FLORETTE is the first of two parts of the classic Marcel Pagnol story set in southeast France in the mid 1920s. In a small Provençal village, where water is scarce and the earth dry, only one piece of property possesses an underground spring to irrigate the soil--and the wily, greedy César (Yves Montand) will do anything to get hold of it. His dreams seem on the verge of coming true when the owner (with a little help from César) dies unexpectedly. But then Jean Cadoret (Gerard Depardieu), an outsider who inherits the farm, arrives with the intention of settling down and cultivating the land with his good-hearted wife, Aimee (played by Depardieu's real wife, Elisabeth Depardieu), and his young daughter, Manon (Ernestine Mazurowna). Jean, a hunchback and sensitive dreamer, glories in his new life while César and his nephew Ugolin (Daniel Auteuil) secretly decide to stop up the spring so his plans will fail. The good-hearted Jean, too naive to imagine that anyone would sabotage him, struggles fruitlessly to make his garden bloom. His continual failure erodes his spirit, setting the stage for a tragedy with consequences for all. Director Claude Berri focuses a well-trained eye on the heart-stopping scenery of the rural Provençal landscape in this beautifully filmed tragedy, establishing a farmer's reverence for his land and native soil. Gerard Depardieu delivers an unforgettable performance as the failed dreamer.

MANON OF THE SPRING: This sequel to 1986's JEAN DE FLORETTE stars Emmanuelle Béart as Manon (the daughter of JEAN DE FLORETTE's protagonist). Manon has grown up to become a beautiful woman, a shy and resourceful shepherdess who lives in relative seclusion from the townspeople of her Provençal village, haunted by the tragic death of her father (played by Gerard Depardieu in part one). An outsider like her father, Manon stays high up in the rugged hills, preferring the company of her sheep to her nearby neighbors César (Yves Montand) and Ugolin (Daniel Auteuil). One fateful day, Manon discovers the real reason why her father's spring ran dry and comes up with a powerful revenge to exact on the men responsible for her father's downfall. Manon's action changes her life forever and uncovers long-hidden family secrets that powerfully affect the local villagers. This charming and poignant fable, based on Marcel Pagnol's classic story, is a richly filmed tale of a small triumph over tragedy. Emmanuelle Béart's beauty radiates throughout the film; she delivers a subtle and captivating performance. Once again, director Claude Berri films with a sensitive eye for the wild beauty of the French countryside that perfectly complements the seductive and earthy beauty of its nubile young star.