In a rural French village an old man and his only remaining relative cast their covetous eyes on an adjoining vacant property. They need its spring water for growing their flowers, so are dismayed to hear the man who has inherited it is moving in. They block up the spring and watch as their new neighbour tries to keep his crops watered from wells far afield through the hot summer. Though they see his desperate efforts are breaking his health and his wife and daughter’s hearts they think only of getting the water.

Jean de Florette (1986)
  • Rating: (13,025 votes)
  • Runtime:120 minutes
  • Director: Claude Berri
  • Countries:France, Switzerland, Italy
  • Actors:
    Cesar Soubeyran dit 'Le Papet'
    Yves Montand
    Jean de Florette (as Gerard Depardieu)
    Gérard Depardieu
    Ugolin
    Daniel Auteuil
    Aimee Cadoret
    Elisabeth Depardieu
    Baptistine
    Margarita Lozano
    Manon Cadoret enfant
    Ernestine Mazurowna
    Philoxéne
    Armand Meffre
    Pamphile, le menuisier (as Andre Dupon)
    André Dupon
    Casimir
    Pierre Nougaro
    Anglade
    Jean Maurel
  • Genre:Drama
  • Producers:
    Pierre Grunstein
    executive producer  
    Alain Poiré
    associate producer  
  • Plot: In a rural French village an old man and his only remaining relative cast their covetous eyes on an adjoining vacant property. They need its spring water for growing their flowers, so are dismayed to hear the man who has inherited it is moving in. They block up the spring and watch as their new neighbour tries to keep his crops watered from wells far afield through the hot summer. Though they see his desperate efforts are breaking his health and his wife and daughter's hearts they think only of getting the water. Written by Jeremy Perkins <jwp@aber.ac.uk>
Jean de Florette
  • User's comment:excellent film by cliffwilliams1

    Certainly one of the best examples of French cinema. A searing powerful story of greed, and its effects. All the actors are excellent, Yves Montand is especially heartbreaking. This movie and its sequel are two of the best films of the 1980's. By the way it's about time they were re-released on DVD i want to add them to my collection.I do not understand why such films are released and the go out of print these are important wonderful films that deserve new audiences, and a new generation of admirers. If it is a business decision that they don't create as much revenue as most of the garbage that comes out of Hollywood, they should be ashamed of themselves.


  • Quotes: Cesar Soubeyran: Now let's talk about other things. I'm going to write to Scratcher. Ugolin: Who's she? Cesar Soubeyran: You don't know her because she left here before you were born. She had the body of an angel. They called her Scratcher because when the boys tried to kiss her she scratched their faces. She used to sharpen her nails especially. But because of this she ended up a spinster and when her parents died she went to work for the priest at Mimet. About 4 or 5 years ago the pope moved him to Crespin and she should still be with him.
  • Also known as: Jean de Florette (Finland), Jean de Florette (Greece), Jean de Florette (Portugal - imdb display title), A paradicsom... (Hungary - imdb display title), El manantial de las colinas (Spain), Jean Florette (West Germany), Katkeruuden lähde (Finland), Kilden i Provence (Denmark - imdb display title),

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