A few days ago, I learned that this film was a remake of Marcel Pagnol's classic of 1940. “And what classic was that?” I thought. I'd vaguely heard of Pagnol and had read somewhere that he was also involved in Manon des Sources and Jean de Florette but I had no idea how it all fitted together. So this morning I put my googling hat on to see what else I could find.
It turns out that Pagnol was a famous film director and author who wrote and directed the original versions of all three films, as well as many others. Pagnol's version of The Well Digger's Daughter was produced in wartime France in 1940. Take a look a this web site, dedicated to his life and work: http://en.marcel-pagnol.com/ If you do nothing else look at the clip from the original Well-Digger's Daughter on this page: http://www.marcel-pagnol.com/film.php?id=21&lang=en This clip shows the wonderful scene where Amoretti confronts Mazel père et mère after Sunday lunch. It makes me wish my French was a lot better. The similarity to the new version is astonishing! The daughter is just as beautiful but in a 1940 kind of way.
Three things I loved about this film:
- The humanity of it. A delightful story, beautifully related, with no plot tricks or spoilers. And a happy ending!
- A wonderful sense of time and place lovingly created by photography, score, sets, actors...
- Dialogue. I hardly speak French, but this was compelling – as somebody said in one of our audience reviews - “Didn't realise I was reading subtitles”. How many ways was it possible to explain Patricia's predicament without ever mentioning the words mother, baby or pregnant?
Here's a summary of the audience feedback:
| A | A beautiful fairy tale (V. French!) |
| A | A delightful film in the best traditions of French cinema |
| A | A lovely fairy tale, very enjoyable! |
| A | A lovely film. Well made, just the right length. Humour – gentle variety, good music. An all-round good one. Thanks. |
| A | A lovely story, beautifully filmed |
| A | A most delightful feel-good film depicting truly the period in which it was set. Beautiful scenery outstanding acting especially Daniel Auteuil |
| A | Enchanting. Jean de Florette & Manon des Sources were hard acts to follow but this was wonderful. |
| A | Fantastic script. Lovely music. Beautifully filmed |
| A | Gentle, predictable but understated and touching many emotions. Liked it! |
| A | Gorgeous & Sentimental but lovely + + + |
| A | How nice to have a happy ending! Beautiful scenery and always fine weather! |
| A | I loved it! Maybe I'm soft – well definitely I am. |
| A | Loved it, joyful, subtle, sadness and joy! |
| A | Lovely Film |
| A | Lovely story well acted beautiful scenery. Very enjoyable. |
| A | Lovely to hear l'acccent do midi (Très Biang) |
| A | Really enjoyed. Didn't realise I was reading subtitles. |
| A | Superb. Photography, story, everything. |
| A | Superb! |
| A | The simple dignity of the humans matched the beauty of nature. |
| A | Very enjoyable. A very convincing story absolutely in period. Daniel Auteuil, as ever, superb. |
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| B | A good old fashioned romance. |
| B | A lovely film, beautiful to look at. So gently enjoyable. |
| B | A lovely story, beautifully filmed. Portrayed a lifestyle that would have been lost in a few months. |
| B | Beautifully shot. Bravo Daniel Auteuil and the baby... Was in danger of dissolving into mush. |
| B | Nice bit of escapism |
| B | Predictable – but enjoyable |
| B | Really enjoyable start to the season |
| B | Very enjoyable despite being sentimental and a little predictable |
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On-line reviews:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2011/dec/08/well-diggers-daughter-film-review
David Parkinson in the Radio Times (4 stars):
http://www.radiotimes.com/film/msg8g/the-well-diggers-daughter-2010
David Parkinson in the Radio Times (4 stars):
http://www.radiotimes.com/film/msg8g/the-well-diggers-daughter-2010
Rotten Tomatoes, UK audience rating = 66%: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/the_well_diggers_daughter/
The Well Digger's Daughter was beautifully filmed and, although the story may have been predictable, it was a pleasure to watch.
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