Jean De Florette Page #5

- Sure!

- Thank you!

Come on! Let's keep going!

Galinette,

if this heatwave keeps up much longer,

his corn will be wiped out

along with the rest.

What's wrong?

What's wrong? You scared me.

Just a dream.

It's the hunchback.

It's the hunchback!

Tell him I'm not here!

Is Mr Ugolin here?

He isn't home?

Ask him if he'll rent me his mule.

I need it tomorrow. It's important!

His mule. Tomorrow!

Thank you!

My chickpeas are rotting!

My apricots are dry and small as peas.

My grapes won't make

two casks of wine. What a year!

For the hunchback,

this means real trouble.

He needs 250 gallons a day.

All he's got to carry it

is a donkey, a woman and a hump!

Another week will wipe him out.

He wants to rent my mule.

It'll be hard to say no.

Idiot! If you lend him the mule,

you'll save him!

It can haul 100 gallons a day!

You told me to act friendly,

so I drank his white wine

and called him Monsieur Jean

and now we're really friends.

You fool!

Do you want flowers or friends?

What a ninny! You sound

just like your poor mother!

If you start strangling a cat,

finish it off!

Believe me,

if he makes a success this year,

he'll start again next year

and he'll be miserable all his life!

With the money I'll pay for his farm,

he can move back to the city.

We're doing him a favour

by not lending him the mule.

You're back at last!

Yes, for the grape harvest!

- How are things with you?

- Not so good. I'm low on water.

It's been a mighty bad year!

Even the grapes

have shrivelled up like raisins!

Can you let me have your mule?

You mean Papet's mule?

- I can't. The harvest starts today.

- What about later?

After Papet's harvest,

the mule will make the rounds.

It takes at least 10 days.

But, you know,

with this heatwave,

we may have a thunderstorm tonight.

May God hear you!

Here's that nut!

He'll kill himself.

He can go back to tax collecting,

but his donkey can't!

It's her I'm sorry for.

Are mules expensive?

I think I can find one in Aubagne

for about 500 francs.

I can resell it in September

for a profit.

But for that...

I have to ask you a big favour.

Can you let me have your necklace?

Just for a little while?

You're going to sell

Mummy's necklace?

No, I'll just pawn it.

They'll lend me at least

2,000 francs for it.

The emeralds alone are worth that.

The mountain air

will be good for the mule

and in 2 months I'll resell it.

Then we'll get the necklace back.

Then it's all right, isn't it, Mama?

Of course.

It's time for bed, now.

We have a big day ahead.

Do you mind giving it up?

I already have!

What?

I've already pawned it.

- When?

- Last month.

I didn't have any money left.

You bought so many things:

books, tools, bran for the rabbits.

And we drink a lot of wine.

- What did you get for it?

- 100 francs.

- Only 100 francs?

- The emeralds were paste.

Please God, make it rain!

Make it rain!

In 20 minutes,

the cistern will be full!

What a beautiful storm!

Manon! I felt the first drop!

Me too, Papa.

I want to feel this blessed water

run down my face.

Thank you, Lord!

But the rain's over there.

It's raining over there!

I'm a hunchback!

Have you forgotten that?

Do you think that's easy?

Isn't there anybody up there?

There's nobody up there!

I'm a hunchback!

Do you think that's easy?

There's nobody up there.

What is it?

Aime, come and see!

Look!

What is it?

It's a dust storm.

I'll run to the Plantier for water!

There's no time to lose!

Meet me at the spring!

Hurry!

It's a matter of life and death!

Papa will fall ill.

Hurry!

Now I know why God gave me this hump.

She says she'll take out the sun.

She says

if we don't take the sun out,

he'll die the day after tomorrow.

All that for a few measly squash!

It kills me to see them

slaving away in this heat.

If you ask me,

it's his own damn fault!

His squash'll never make it.

- But he has a spring on his land!

- They say it's blocked up.

Maybe it didn't block up by itself.

They say the Soubeyrans might know.

- They say...

- Forget what people say!

The Soubeyrans do as they please!

It doesn't pay to stick your nose

in other people's business!

The less talk, the better!

Time to make our move!

His fields look like a disaster area!

He's at the end of his rope.

Offer him 6,000 or 7,000 francs.

But haggle a bit.

- Let me kiss you, Papet!

- Cut that out! Run over there!

Take him these bottles of new wine.

It'll be good for him. Hurry!

Your wine is delicious,

but I have to face the facts.

My venture is a failure.

It's a fiasco!

I could blame it on fate

or disastrous weather conditions.

But I'm afraid it's due

to my own stupidity,

to my lack of common sense.

I thought I was clever,

but in fact, I was blind.

Blind to my biggest problem: water!

That's right.

You can't make it without water.

That's history, now.

I have a new plan.

Once I've fully regained

my strength,

I'll dig a well.

- Where?

- I'll use a divining rod.

Are you a water diviner?

Not exactly.

But I have a manual

that should help me.

Once I've learned the technique,

I'm sure to find water here.

You know how to make a well?

After all, a well is only

a hole in the ground.

Mine will be 36 feet deep,

and even if it doesn't supply water,

my problem's solved.

- What use is a well without water?

- I can use it as a cistern!

A well that size contains

11,000 gallons of water!

Spring rains will fill it up.

In the summer months,

between this well and our cistern,

we can store 14,500 gallons.

That'll give us 36 days

worth of watering!

We've had longer dry spells.

Where have you seen

a drought lasting 36 days?

The Sahara?

Or maybe in the Gobi Desert!

But not here!

Here!

It's mathematically impossible!

Let's drink to that!

From all you say,

the only good news is that now

he's drinking red wine!

- And the divining rod?

- That's a real problem!

Think he'll learn to use it?

Hell, no! For that,

you need a special touch.

- But he may hire a real diviner.

- Do you know any?

I knew one in Ombres.

If he came up here,

he'd find the spring in a flash!

Is he still there?

Yes, but fortunately in the graveyard!

A good diviner is expensive.

Did you talk money?

No, he was too drunk.

I don't think he has much left.

You can never be sure

when it comes to money.

I think it moved!

How's it going?

It's getting harder to dig.

- Tough?

- It certainly is!

I'm down to the white rock

I told you about!

- The Quaternary?

- Precisely!

If there's water under this rock,

I'll reach it in two weeks.

But if it's under

the Quaternary layer,

it'll take six months or more!

Now I know

what a ditch-digger's thirst is!

This hits the spot!

Monsieur Jean,

I have to be frank with you.

You may think

this is none of my business,

but I feel sorry for you.

All this work you've done

these last two years...

It's madness. It'll kill you!

Go on, I'm listening.

Even if you finish your well,

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