Not just one of the great French imports of the 1980s but a glistening cinematic accomplishment that possesses a timeless quality, director Claude Berri’s adaptations of author Marcel Pagnol’s JEAN DE FLORETTE and MANON OF THE SPRING (123 mins./113 mins., 1986, PG) have arrived on UHD and remastered Blu-Ray from Criterion, both utilizing Pathe’s 2015 4K restorations, premiering here in a U.S. release for the first time.
Pagnol’s story is set in Provence after WWI and spans 10 years chronicling the pursuit of Cesar Soubeyran (Yves Montand), a “gentleman farmer” who conspires to take over a neighboring farm for his pathetic nephew Ugolin (Daniel Auteuil), a war vet who envisions carnations flowing from its fertile soil. The area is particularly lush because of a spring – one that Soubeyran and Ugolin cover up so that the property’s new owner, Jean Cadoret (Gerard Depardieu), won’t ever find it.
Instead, Jean, a hard-working hunchback who represents modern “city folk” to the suspicious locals, struggles to keep things afloat for his wife and his young daughter, hoping for rain that never comes and attempting to create a cistern to provide more water for his ailing crops. All the while, Ugolin tries to put forth the appearance of being helpful while Soubeyran stands on the sidelines, waiting and watching for the opportune moment when he can kindly offer his charity to buy the land out from under him.
“Jean De Florette” is both gorgeous to look at and thoroughly compelling from start to finish. It’s a film that’s leisurely told by Berri – who adapted Pagnol’s novel with Gerard Brach – but is never anything less than enthralling as the story unfolds. The gorgeous French locations are so spectacularly shot by Bruno Nyutten that you can virtually feel the warmth of the land, the scent of its flowers and breezes cascading through the hills right off the screen. Reportedly the most expensive French production ever mounted at the time of its release, “Jean De Florette” is a memorably rendered work of art for its aesthetic attributes alone.
However, the movie’s opening part is just a teaser for “Manon of the Spring,” which was shot along with its predecessor and released six months following “Jean De Florette”’s theatrical run both in France and a year later in the United States. The story so carefully laid out in “Jean De Florette” comes to a dramatic breaking point in this worthy sequel, one that’s even more delicious than its predecessor. Here, Manon (Emmanuelle Beart), the now-grown (and quite fetching), free-spirited daughter of Jean, finally figures out what the Soubeyans did to her father and goes about exacting revenge on both of the men responsible for their provincial passive-aggressiveness.
It’s a searing second half that shows how beautifully Berri established the groundwork in the movie’s opening portion, as seemingly innocuous scenes in “Jean De Florette” connect with powerhouse dramatic confrontations in “Manon of the Spring.”
Shout Factory previously brought both movies to Blu-Ray in the U.S., carrying MGM-licensed transfers due to Orion’s theatrical distribution back in the ‘80s. Now that the MGM license has expired, Criterion has been able to utilize Pathe’s 4K restorations which were released a decade ago in France on Blu-Ray, and these transfers are beautiful to behold. Even without HDR, the 4K UHD (2.35) has gorgeous detail, ravishing color and perfectly balanced contrasts, while the remastered Blu-Ray likewise benefits from the restoration, surpassing the previously-issued MGM master. On the audio side, the 5.0 DTS MA soundtrack features a superb score from Jean-Claude Petit and is finely engineered.
Extras include the 2018 documentary “Claude Berri: The Card Dealer,” a profile of the filmmaker/actor/writer, plus “The Force of Destiny,” a 2017 look at the production of the films. New subtitle translations and an essay from Sue Harris make for a delectable release that’s unquestonably one of the best of the year to date.
Also New & Noteworthy
SONIC THE HEDGEHOG 3 4K Ultra HD/Blu-Ray Steelbook (110 mins., 2024, PG; Paramount): The tide has turned for the videogame-to-movie adaptation genre, thanks to the Universal/Illumination take on “Super Mario Bros.” and Paramount’s successful trio of movies (I didn’t say trilogy, since there are more to come) based on Sega’s nearly-as-long-running video game hero Sonic the Hedgehog. This third entry moves the action away from Sonic’s adoptive parents James Marsden and Tika Sumpter and towards Sonic and friends’ meeting with Shadow, a suspicious new character who’s voiced by Keanu Reeves and has been under government control since the ‘70s.
Lots of action and laughs mix with a by-now entrenched formula established by the previous two films in the series, with Jim Carrey now signed up for dual roles in support of the manic goings-on. It’s a bit much, especially in the second half, but director Jeff Fowler still has a decent command of it all, enabling “Sonic 3” to entertain kids and nostalgic adults in equal measure.
Paramount’s UHD Steelbook houses a gorgeous Dolby Vision HDR (2.39) grading of the film with Dolby Atmos sound, a Blu-Ray copy, Digital HD code, and extras including commentary from Fowler and Sonic’s voice, Ben Schwartz; a whole slew of behind-the-scenes/VFX featurettes; a gag reel and deleted scenes as well in its attractive, hardbound limited-edition packaging.
New Russ Meyer Releases From Severin: Two additional titles in Severin’s line of Russ Meyer Blu-Ray retrospectives are new to the format this month. Debuting April 29th is RUSS MEYER’S UP! (80 mins., 1976), the director’s penultimate feature with Fellini-esque surrealism sprinkled on top of Meyer’s patented blend of T&A. Roger Ebert once again wrote (under a pseudonym) this effort starring Marie Winchester, and is brought to disc by Severin sporting a new commentary by critic Elizabeth Purchell; a talk with star Raven De La Croix; a radio spot; a 1080p (1.85) transfer and mono sound, newly scanned in 4K from the OCN.
Also freshly mastered in 4K from the OCN is an earlier, comparatively tamer (yet pretty wild by mid ‘60s standards) Meyer effort MOTORPSYCHO (74 mins., 1965), featuring Alex Rocco as a town veterinarian who teams up with a local vixen (Haji) to take on a trio of psycho bikers in a taut and nasty little 74-minute programmer. Purchell and Zach Clark provide the commentary in Severin’s Blu-Ray (1.66, mono), which also includes a talk with Haji and Rocco and the trailer.
JAMES BOND: ICONS UNEARTHED Blu-Ray (aprx. 12 hours, 2024; Mill Creek): Brian Volk-Weiss’ excellent “Icons Unearthed” documentary tackles the James Bond franchise – at least, all the way up to its most recent developments with the Broccois bowing out and AmazonMGM taking over – making this a breezy, if sometimes overly condensed, look at the history of the proper “Eon” series.
A number of talking heads along with veteran cast members like George Lazenby, Caroline Munro (misspelled “Munroe”), and Gloria Hendry – plus director John Glen and writer Jeffrey Caine among others – dive into the long history of Ian Fleming’s creation and the rocky road of 007 reaching the screen. Salient points are made, the Kevin McClory legal wrangling is detailed, and the show is entertaining, but in trying to fit so much history and movies into one series, numerous elements (like the whole issue over who wrote the Bond theme) are either given a casual mention or aren’t raised at all.
The result is worthwhile for fans and casual viewers, but a little more depth beyond the six episodes of the show would’ve made for a more comprehensive and satisfying effort. Mill Creek’s Blu-Ray (1.85, 2.0 DTS MA) includes the complete series on two discs with bonus interviews that are just as illuminating – if not more so – than the doc itself.
ULTRAMAN: Ultraman Z Complete Series Blu-Ray (12 hours, 2020; Mill Creek): All 25 episodes from the 2020 series finds an ancient devil and its assorted splinters being resurrected by a mysterious force moving through the galaxy with eventual designs on Earth. Ultraman Zero and Ultraman Z stand in its way, in another mix of big effects and colorful action for “Ultraman” fans. Mill Creek’s Blu-Ray offers the complete “Z” series with 1080p (1.85) transfers and either the original Japanese audio or an English dub. There’s also a free playcable card from the “Ultraman” card game included in the package.
NEXT TIME: DONOVAN’S REEF in 4K and more Kino Lorber releases! Until then, don’t forget to drop in on the official Aisle Seat Message Boards and direct any emails to our email address. Cheers everyone!