Title
Which Original Works? Tracking Sophocles' Narrative in "Jean de Florette" and "Manon des Sources"
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-2000
Department 1
French
Abstract
Pagnol's two-part novel, L'Eau des collines ( 1962), was inspired by his own films, Manon des sources and Ugolin, released ten years before (1952). Much better known are Berri's 1986 films bearing the novel's titles Jean de Florette and Manon des sources.
In this essay I want to examine the architectural and thematic transformations between the three types of "texts:'
I will show that each piece is referring to a different diegetic universe. Pagnol's film is a celebration of provencal verbal activity, ` joie de vivre," and of the Christian notions of redemption and forgiveness. The musical motif of L'Arlesienne by Bizet is a direct reference to the Christian Epiphany. The overwhelming, pervasive theme in Pagnol's novel is the unalterable life of the seamless feminine goddess whose multiple body flows in all women, in the earth, and in the water. Her special dwelling is in the hills where the priestess Manon operates. In Berri's films, the emphasis is clearly on fate and on the blindness of the tragic hero(es), and the soundtrack includes Verdi's Forza Del Destino as a haunting motif. [excerpt]
Copyright Note
This is the publisher's version of the work. This publication appears in Gettysburg College's institutional repository by permission of the copyright owner for personal use, not for redistribution.
Recommended Citation
Binet, Marie-Jo. "Which Original Works? Tracking Sophocles' Narrative in 'Jean de Florette' and 'Manon des Sources.'" Literature/Film Quarterly 28.1 (July 2000).
Required Publisher's Statement
Original version is available from the publisher at: http://www.salisbury.edu/lfq/backissues.htm#2000