(The unparalleled splendor of Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources)
Spring Break is upon us! We’re almost there! But with that can come burn out. The year has taken its toll, we’re fighting seniors with senioritis (that started in September), and cabin fever can be a nightmare. The temptation can creep in to just “pop in a movie”, but we can do better. Our students deserve better too. Learning about culture through film is a wonderful tool, and it takes only a little effort to link classic or modern films directly to the curriculum. Enter: Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources
Jean de Florette: the movie
Jean de Florette is one of those classic French films that won awards (nominated for 8 Césars; Danieul Auteuil won Best Actor), and that everyone who is anyone has seen. Based on a novel by Marcel Pagnol, the film tells the tale of a rich, small town man (César/Yves Montand) with a chip on his shoulder, and his naïve and easily-manipulated nephew (Ugolin/Daniel Auteuil). Together, they launch a plot to drive their new neighbor (Jean/Gérard Dépardieu) off his land so they can farm it for themselves.
Like every good French story, there’s a healthy amount of betrayal and catastrophe, which teenagers viewers revel in. They choose sides, and they argue, and they nearly fall off their chairs at the end when the credits stop, and they read: fin de la première partie. WHAT?! That’s not the end? Oh, no, children! Ugolin comes back…and he’s creepier than ever!
Jean de Florette: easy curricular tie-ins
Because Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources are sister stories, they are ripe for curricular ties. In my classroom, I use Jean de Florette to reinforce the passé composé. My movie guide asks questions in French, and it requires students to write about specific events in the passé composé. I make each of the movies into a 4-day unit, and each one includes a quiz on the characters, plot, chronology, and relevant vocabulary.
Jean de Florette is also ripe with situations where students want to tell the characters what to do. Jean and Ugolin, in particular, seem to need help! That creates a great space for teaching or reinforcing the imperative/command forms.
Manon des Sources: the movie
Manon des Sources resumes the story over a decade later. César and Ugolin have worked what used to be Jean’s land for years, profiting off their successful scheme. But now Jean’s young daughter (Manon/Emmanuelle Béart) is now all grown up. Unfortunately for her, Ugolin notices…and that’s when things get weird. Like, fantastically, disgustingly, don’t-try-this-at-home weird. Then, of course, there’s the twist at the end that makes students’ jaws drop, and they see the entire story in a new way.
Manon des Sources: easy curricular tie-ins
Since I focus Jean de Florette on the passé composé, I focus the Manon des Sources movie guide on the difference between the passé composé and the imparfait. This way, after they learn each tense, they get to use it with a story and talk/write about the movie in class with language they now know.
Manon des Sources also provides a rich environment in which to give advice (imperative forms), especially to Ugolin. If you include these films in the upper levels, a logical next step is using the subjunctive. It is necessary that Ugolin stop spying….but there’s that lingering element of subjunctive doubt. Will he stop? Can he stop?
Weird Stuff to Add
After the first movie ends, and the kids learn that (OMG!) there’s a sequel, I give them a warning….and I really lay it on thick! I warn that in the second movie they will see, arguably, the most disgusting, disturbing scene in all of film history. But I add that the movie is not rated R, and that really confuses them. They ask a million “Is it ___?”, “Does someone ___?” questions, but I tell them they couldn’t possibly guess. They just have to be in class. And you know what? None of them miss. They are invested in the characters, and they want to get grossed out.
(Spoiler alert for teachers: The gross scene is Ugolin sewing Manon’s hair ribbon to his nipple. There’s blood. There’s agony in his face. The scene is lit by a fire. It’s fantastic!)
At the end of the two movies, there are a few fun facts I share with kids:
1. César was played by Yves Montand, a highly famous French actor. He was married twice, and oddly, he is buried in the Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris next to his first wife, not the one he was married to when he died.
2. Yves Montand was quite the playboy back in the day. He had many affairs, but most notably, he was romantically linked to America’s very own Marilyn Monroe!
3. Daniel Auteuil (Ugolin) and Emmanuelle Béart (Manon), met filming Manon des Sources, and…drum roll…had a baby in real life! Yup, when it’s all said and done, Ugolin DID get the girl! (for a while, anyway)
4. Lastly, it’s never bad to include a few “life lesson” talks with the kids: something to the effect of, “Hey, boys! Don’t be Ugolin. Just don’t.”
Check out the flash sale on Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources items in my Teachers Pay Teachers store:
Jean de Florette film guide
Manon des Sources film guide
Bundle of both film guides
20% off through Saturday, March, 16!
Note: The links to the DVDs are Amazon Affiliate links. Thank you for your support! I DO NOT recommend buying the double DVD (Jean de Florette on one side, Manon des Sources on the other) because the DVD is very low quality, it wears out fast, and it doesn’t take long to quit working all together.
