Manon des Sources [Manon of the Spring] **** (1952, Jacqueline Pagnol, Rellys, Henri Poupon) – Classic Movie Review 6655

Writer/ producer/ director Marcel Pagnol’s beautiful original 1952 film version of one of his haunting excursions through village life in Provence makes for epic French cinema. The director’s wife Jacqueline Pagnol stars in an autobiographical role in Manon des Sources [Manon of the Spring].

Focusing on minor affairs, gossip and the villagers’ superstitions, the film depicts everyday peasant village life at the beginning of the 20th century in an unglamorous but intriguing and involving fashion, with plenty of rich detail.

The director’s wife, Jacqueline Pagnol, gives a superior performance as Manon the shepherdess who avenges herself for her father’s death on Ugolin (Rellys) and his uncle, the greedy neighbouring farmed called Le Papet (Henri Poupon), by blocking the spring supplying the water to the villagers.

Most of the acting is admirable, though Rellys is especially moving in a masterly performance, and the material is always rich and fascinating, and will be of particular fascination for those who enjoyed the two-part 1986 remake, as Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources.

Severe cutting by around half an hour to 200 minutes has stemmed the narrative flow in the 1952 film but it was restored in 1988 to 228 minutes on the strength of the success of director Claude Berri’s 1986 two-part remake Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources.

Jacqueline Pagnol later revealed that the main character in Manon des Sources was based on her own childhood when she grew up tending her aunt’s goats in Camargue.

Marcel Pagnol later adapted his film Manon des Sources into two novels, Jean de Florette (essentially a prequel) and Manon des Sources, collectively titled L’Eau des Collines, and published in 1962. The film was remade in 1986 following the pattern of the novels in two parts as Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources.

Rellys as Ugolin.

Also in the cast are Raymond Pellegrin, Henri Vibert, Robert Vattier and Fernand Sardou, with Charles Blavette, Édouard Delmont, Edmond Ardisson, Jean Panisse and Jean Toscane.

Manon des Sources is directed by Marcel Pagnol, runs 228 minutes, is made by Les Films Marcel Pagnol, is released by Gaumont Distribution (1952) (France), is written by Marcel Pagnol, shot in black and white by Willy Faktorovitch, produced by Marcel Pagnol, and scored by Raymond Legrand, with Production Design by Eugène Delfau.

Jacqueline Pagnol [née Jacqueline Bouvier] was born on 6 October 1920 and died on 22 August 2016, aged 95. She studied drama. She met Marcel Pagnol when she was 23 and they lived at Avenue Foch in Paris. She acted in many French films in the 1940s and 1950, six of which were directed by her husband. She owned the copyright of Marcel Pagnol’s work and had approval over all film adaptations.

© Derek Winnert 2018 Classic Movie Review 6655

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