Perhaps not in terms of sheer entertainment but in the life lesson department there are few equals IMO. Please bear with me, because this is a French film! When watching most every other French film it's suddenly occurred to me that the French also think Jerry Lewis is some sort of comic genius. This film is the exception. Oh mah Ghod, this story ...

'Jean de Florette' and part two 'Manon of the Spring,' approx 1986. Stars Yves Montand, Gérard Depardieu, and Daniel Auteuil. This was one of Yves Montand's last roles and what a capper for his career. Emmanuelle Beart appears in part 2 as the daughter in part 1 now grown up. She does a tasteful and wowser nude scene after swimming in a spring in the mountains, not realizing she is being watched, dancing a jig while she plays the harmonica. Integral to the plot. I say this in case anyone would not want children of a certain age to see nude scenes. One never knows.

I think of this now as I've had the DVD for years and just dusted it off. One of my best clients is a widow who hosts foreign exchange students and rents out units on her medium sized estate to stay afloat. I maintain and remodel the units, now in the midst of a large remodel on one of them. She currently has two 14 year old Chinese girls, one was born and raised in France and can barely speak Chinese or English. Real charmers, these two. My client is helping them both with English, she's a former English teacher, part of why she gets the gigs.

I thought the film might be useful for them and I've long had an ambition to show these films to students and young adults. I watched the highlights again and it blew me away again. I'm telling you, the story in this one ...Shakespearean only better.

I'd recommend not reading too much by way of reviews (spoilers) ahead of time. In brief:

A greedy landowner and his backward nephew conspire to block the only water source for an adjoining property in order to bankrupt the owner and force him to sell. The nephew is at turns dimwitted and resourceful and has discovered that carnations are a good cash crop. But they are a thirsty crop and he and his uncle, who has been won over to the project covet the water on the land in question. Set in perhaps the 1920s.

I saw these in Seattle when they first came out to much fanfare. These were the glory days, reviews were sketchy, I knew very little of the plot, and I had to wait about 3 months to see part 2.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

English subtitles?

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.

If you like sci fi,Japan has a good movie,The Sinking Of Japan. Very good special effects,no subtitlies but easy to follow story line. Something like this will happen to nothwest coast of our country.

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

Didn't Al Gore say that was supposed to happen in 2015? The flooding part of our coasts.

don't know many theories on ice melt,one says increased weight on ocean floor will push continents higher, and cause increase pressure in mantle.Causing a swift tetonic movement,replacing most of the continental crust,with crust thats 400 miles deep in the mantle now.
Now the earthquake soon to take out washington,and oregan,is real,as the ground there has rose alot.

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1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

Bah. The last French movie that was worth a damn was "Breathless" ("A Bout de Souffle") from 1960.

Of course. They want people to watch the movie, they'd be fools not to put subtitles in for foreign distribution.

That's why I thought it would be good English practice for the young ethnic Chinese, French speaking woman.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Thank you for your valuable input.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Never saw it. I'll keep an eye out for it. Our local libraries likely have it.

People can do what they want with my recommendation. I'm telling you, young adults would do well to hear that story.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Les Comperes with Gerald Depardieu

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Some favorite French films:

Diva (1981) A haunting action-drama in which the lone ranger drives a white Citroen

The Tall Blonde Man with One Black Shoe (1972) Very poorly remade in the US. See the original.

I have always liked Pepe Le Pew ...

I'd like to check out all of those. Many French films are weird in my experience but the good ones are good. JdF/MotS is dead serious, any comedy is incidental. What amazes me about this film is crystal clear way that a number of characters see the error of their ways, errors years in the commission. Nothing contrived about it, it's very believable and moving.

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1986 300SDL, 362K
1984 300D, 138K

Watch 'Rififi', (yes, with subtitles), french govt/police wanted it banned for the actual 'heist' scene. A most excellent movie.

'Babettes Feast' danish not french but excellent.

"The Cuckoo" russian/finnish/sami. No-one understands anyone in this flick, subtitles a must! Excellent

(edit - Jean/Manon a most excellent film(s))

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"I applaud your elaborate system of denial"

No.

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[SIGPIC] Diesel loving autocrossing grandpa Architect. 08 Dodge 3/4 ton with Cummins & six speed; I have had about 35 benzes. I have a 39 Studebaker Coupe Express pickup in which I have had installed a 617 turbo and a five speed manual.[SIGPIC]

..I also have a 427 Cobra replica with an aluminum chassis.