Transported by the Well Diggers Daughter

Last night, I was transported to the Alpilles region of France at the beginning of World War I.
The Well Diggers Daughter is the most recent film remake of the work of novelist film-maker Marcel Pagnol.

His novels and films evoke the rich beauty of the French countryside and the interplay of the material environment, distant war, cultural values and personality.

I normally consider films as creations that warrant less serious consideration than text, but the sequence of Pagnol films that I have watched so far have left impressions on me as powerful as any novel.

Pagnol, and the film-makers adapting his work, manage to weave a sense of authenticity as well as dramatic tension through the unpredictable mix of faults and virtues in the characters.
In other films, the short time frame available often results in characters being redrawn as caricature.  A person or a cultural value needs to be the "baddie" - the evil cause of the problem.  Redeeming features of the "baddy" risk confusion and reduced emotional impact.

This film is a delightful piece of literature in motion - as well as a starting point for planning a trip to rural France !

I look forward to more remakes as well as watching his originals as well.