My 150 Favorite Films - #15

Jean de Florette (1986) 

Jean de Florette and it's companion drama Manon of the Spring, are, quite apart from the plot, two of the most sumptuously photographed stories ever committed to film. The haunting tale, of greed, revenge, murder and plot twists make this a film for the ages. Filmed in rural Provence, the story it tells is of two local farmers who scheme to trick a newcomer out of his property. As it stars Gerard Depardieu, Yves Montand, Daniel Auteil, Emmanuelle Beart, and is directed by the acclaimed French director, Claude Berri, this film has proven to be one of the most sumptuous and moving of all time. Filmed together, but released separately, I am counting the two films as one.

My 150 Favorite Films - #16

The Wedding Banquet (1993)

Before Ang Lee became world famous directing such modern-day classics as Brokeback Mountain, Sense and Sensibility and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, he made this small, early film, about a gay, Taiwanese man who intends to go through with a sham wedding in order to please his traditional parents. Needless to say, complications arise. Nominated for Best Foreign Language of 1993, The Wedding Banquet was also the most profitable film of 1993, relative to its cost, and to my mind, the most enjoyable.