6. Jean De Florette (1986) - Dir. Claude Berri
When I first saw this film it was on late at night at channel 4 it blew me away. Though I must notw no mention of the sequel was made, nor was there even any mention of the fact that this film was the first half of a longer story. The film originally ends with a freeze frame as, "The End of Part One" comes on the screen. The version that I saw had no such thing and so for the longest time I was led to believe that this was the full story. And it's a hell of an ending. Two seedy business men in rural France see a golden opportunity for profit when they discover a natural water spring on their neighbours land. Spy a chance to make a quick profit they decide to plug the spring and by the land for a pittance thereby making a massive fortune. The landowner, however is reluctant to sell, and so is killed off by the two businessmen. The man's relative, the titular Jean de Florette, inherits the land and rebuffs the offer to buy, maintaining that he will use the land to breed rabbits, not knowing of the natural spring or that the land is dry as the area see's very little water. God, Mother Nature, the businessmen and even the local townspeople seem determined to break this man as nothing goes right for him. His rabbits die as the land is unsustainable without water. His next idea to grow crops also fails as he is unable to do anything without water. He is forced to extreme measures and tries to create a well with dynamite. This backfires however, when he is hit on the head with a piece of debris causing him spinal damage which eventually kills him not long after. The businessmen get the farm at a discounted price and unplug the spring, only to be discovered by Jean's daughter Manon who screams in shock at how her father has been misled... End credits. I couldn't believe that this was the ending. The bad guys completely destroy an innocent man for pure profit. And succeed. An honest man is driven to madness and they make a small fortune off an entire families misery? Where was the resolution? It was about five years later that I discovered the sequel, which offered me the resolution I sought. But I'll never forget that gut wrenching feeling off those evil men winning and just how wrong it felt.