4K Restored Screening of "Manon des Sources" (1986) by Claude Berri

Manon (Emmanuelle Béart), a beautiful shepherdess in Provence, France, has lost her father and seeks to avenge him. As we celebrate the extraordinary trajectory of French actress Emmanuelle Béart, who will also be in attendance in Princeton for another film (Such a Resounding Silence) on November 19, 2026, join us to watch one of the films that launched her career. Synopsis: A sprawling tale of greed, betrayal, and revenge plays out amid the bucolic splendor of the French countryside in Claude Berri’s master adaptation of a literary work by the legendary Marcel Pagnol. Manon of the Spring vividly recreates the provincial world of an early-twentieth-century village, where an outsider’s arrival sets in motion a devastating chain of events. With gorgeous cinematography, keen insights into human nature, and superb performances from icons of French cinema (Yves Montand, Daniel Auteuil, and Emmanuelle Béart), this richly absorbing moral tale—at the time of their production, the most expensive French films ever made—is a triumph of epic storytelling in the classical tradition.