What a beautiful movie!

Takes itself way too seriously

Better Late Then Never

I think this is a new genre that they're all sort of working their way through it and haven't got all the kinks worked out yet but it's a genre that works for me.

I alternated between being charmed and a bit put off by actor Daniel Auteuil's directorial debut -- a sweet (sometimes sticky sweet) re-make of Marcel Pagnol's 1940 film. The film is a bit odd tonally; alternating between occasional bathetic intense emotion (scored to opera at times no less), and being a slightly too convenient and cute comedy of manners. Some modest spoilers ahead.Auteuil plays a working-class paterfamilias with 5 daughters, including an 18 year old favorite he has seen only as a perfect angel. But now she has brought the family to shame by getting pregnant by a rich and handsome local boy, who promptly leaves to fight in WW I -- and her father turns on her and casts her out. The film seems to want to have it both ways – we're told to feel bad for the cruel banishment of the daughter, but not TOO bad, since in the end dad (now grandpa) has to prove to be a good guy at heart. Auteuil - an actor I usually really enjoy – gives a slightly hammy (if admittedly amusing) performance, bouncing a bit too far back and forth between near monster and adorable gruff old guy. Also slightly problematic; the young couple are beautiful, but there's not a ton of spark there either individually or as a duo. There are some very good scenes, and I was extremely taken by Kad Merad in a supporting role as an endearing 40ish friend/employee of the father who is hopelessly in love with the young daughter. For all the rough spots, I modestly enjoyed the film. It's just that there were hints of a terrific movie early on, so when it ended up as just a nice, old-fashioned and somewhat predictable one, there was a sense of disappointment.

Beautiful scenery, perfect casting, quality story-telling, and content that reflects beauty and meaning such that we hardly get to see anymore -- at least, not on the big screen. Or on the home screen.If you love good film, good company, and good values, don't miss treating yourself to this flick.And if you've forgotten what those could look like, well-blended together, go out of your way to be reminded.I don't think you will be disappointed.You may even find something stirring in you, that feels like Real Life once again, not the life we Americans have, for too long, been dished out via our values-free society.

Daniel Auteuil is one of my favorite actors... in the world.I rented this film earlier tonight from Video Futur, a French movie rental chain, after missing it at the cinéma. My girlfriend and I just finished watching it. Wow.It's fantastic !!! Of course, you should start with the Marcel Pagnol classics like Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources. Read the books, watch the films, fall in love with the south of France. If you're already familiar with the works of Pagnol, you can jump right in and enjoy. Heck, even if you're not familiar with them, watch this film anyway.In my opinion, Provence is the most beautiful place in France, and possibly the world. Pagnol used real locations in Provence, including Aubagne, Salon, and other locales as the settings for his best dramas.This is no exception. La fille du puisatier (English: The welldigger's daughter) is a well-crafted story that I believe Americans, and cinema fans all over the world, will enjoy. The film is an excellent and faithful adaptation of Pagnol's original story, and the actors' performances elevate this film to the highest level.Auteuil, along with co-stars Kad Merad and Jean-Pierre Darroussin knock this thing out of the park. I remember Merad and Darroussin from other films, including L'immortel (English: 22 bullets), but this takes the cake.This is not to take away from the amazing performances of the daughter in the title, Astrid Bergès-Frisbey as Patricia Amoretti, as well as the solid performance of Emilie Cazenave as her sister Amanda.All in all, great acting, great writing (based on an already-good story) and beautiful cinematography, made for a completely enjoyable viewing experience, at least for us.I hope this comes out soon in the US so that American audiences can see for themselves.I remember seeing Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources (English: Manon of the spring) in my high school French class. My teacher was nice enough to share some French movies with us. Decades later, I'm lucky enough to be living in France, putting all those French lessons to good use, enjoying Pagnol again, and dreaming, everyday, about moving back to the south.....to Provence.

We were lucky enough to view this marvelous French film yesterday in Fremantle and both of us were touched by the simple story of boy meets girl; girl has his child but things turnout well in the end. The conflicting problems are the unspoken classism of France in those early WW I years that more obviously exist in England but are relatively unknown in France. Some negative commentators spoke from a Feminist perspective about the girl being only a cardboard figure without substance but from our point of view those considerations were unimportant given the beauty of the cinematography and the relative newness of the unfolding story (that is, how the various people played their roles at that time in French history.) We were not prepared to rubbish the film because of modern concerns; the actions of the characters all made sense to us and we considered them to be one example from a plethora of similar timeless actions. Perhaps the only fault that could be drawn was that the ending seemed rather more pat than reality would have allowed in those days.The actors played their roles beautifully and the nuances of the script were delightful in their unfolding. There were many insights (to me as a foreigner) into life at that time in France and as a result I am not prepared to make any negative comments about the story nor the script. We thought it was a beautiful film and well-worth the time and expense to see it.