(I never saw the original.) This story is probably too dated for young viewers uninterested in the morality of a bygone age (though it should make us all thrilled those days are dead, dead, dead).The film is certainly gorgeous to look at. Costumes, the countryside, even the old cars, all beautiful. Most of the acting is great except for the female lead who has only one expression--sad with optional tears. If she's lustful, hopeful, worried, offended, the face stays in that one expression. It becomes wearying then frustrating and makes her less "beautiful" with every frame. (I was reminded of Kristen Stewart biting her lip all the danged time.) Perhaps she was trying to play the girl as mildly retarded (which could be--she certainly was rather an idiot at every turn), but whyever this choice, it didn't work for me, and a viewer's belief in her attractiveness and "goodness" (doormattishness) is crucial to make the story work.In the end, this movie is a big "so what?" to me. The story has been told before, it's hopelessly outdated, and it adds nothing to our understanding of human nature. It's not a happy ending seen through my world view. The mother-in-law gets away with horrors that suggest the rest of the young couple's life will also be hellish because of her. And the "I'll take you as a consolation prize" ending for the sister and soldier is equally as horrifying to contemplate.

The Well Digger's Daughter. There is something rather attractive about this simple predictable plot, but a bit more complex, quaint movie. You want to very much like it, but it's ultimately very disappointing. You try to adapt to the different morals that are claimed to be of a different time, then you realize there is nothing immoral, just no real moral core to grab on to. You seem to love the sweet quiet convent girl Patricia, and she grows on you as the movie progresses and her character develops. You begin to think by the end she is maybe the only true moral character in the lot and then very disappointingly she becomes as shallow as the rest. Say, like with Jacques, is he just played by a poor actor or is he as simple, shallow and pointless as he comes across. Then of course Pascal, the main character, appears complex, you try to read him as his character develops and progresses. You eventually realize he is a strange morality that all the plot wires do not connect. Simple, so watch it that way, if you look for more it falls apart. Ehhh!!

The Well Digger's Daughter (2011)A drama set in the early 20th Century that ends up being about traditions and love and how two different kinds of families come to understand each other. While not a Romeo and Juliet story at all, it has that basic problem when two young people from different social realms fall in love.What keeps this from becoming commonplace is the beauty of it all, including what I would call beautiful acting--heartfelt, nuanced, interesting. In a way it is the well digger, the dad played by Daniel Autueil who is the main character. He's a familiar face (if not name) to those who have seen a few French films, and he's wonderful. Though a practical man (he digs wells the old fashioned way for a living), he has a sense of dignity and honor that impresses even the rich family whose charming son has seduced the title character. We feel no violation here, just the normal confused crossed-star love issues. War intrudes, and then the dreaded report from the front, and the families still have to cope together. For reasons you'll see.Marcel Pagnol, the great mid-Century French writer whose story is the basis for this, was also a filmmaker, and you can feel a kind of homage or influence at play here, which adds yet another layer of appreciation.It's also a really funny movie, one of the dramas that is so witty and warm you laugh along with the characters like you would your friends (assuming you have funny friends). I loved the whole experience. If it ends with a feeling like, okay, all is resolved one way or another, I guess that's fine. There is no epiphany here, but rather a sweet slice of life from a provincial time we'd love to never forget.

I am totally satisfied with this choice. It's one of the best french movies from last year. It tells a wonderful story in the very nice Provence from South of France. It's about ethical family values for father Amoretti and his children. The dialogs have great quality and let me reflect from begin to the end. It was never boring because I felt lot of emotions with the plot. Then the performance and direction from Daniel Auteuil was one of the best I have seen so far. Congratulations to the author Marcel Pagnol for this novel. Astrid Bergès-Frisbey played very respectable the role of the daughter Amoretti. The young pilot didn't convince me because his character was portrayed here too clunky and his voice heard inappropriate. The film shows very nice pictures from this beautiful region. For all these reasons it deserves a solid 9/10. Don't miss it, you won't regret. I will add it to my best of DVD collection. Don't miss the great thriller 36 QUAI DES ORFÈVRES with Daniel Auteuil.