Keswick Film Club - The Well Digger's Daughter

Synopsis

Daniel Auteuil rose to fame acting in 'Jean de Flo-rette', and 'Manon des Sources’, both adaptions of Marcel Pagnol novels. Auteuil is now paying hom-age to Pagnol by starting his directorial career with FOUR films by the same author; our first film of the season is the first of these to be completed.

A tale of love and class in 1940‘s Provence, Auteuil himself plays the well digger, Pascal. He discovers his beautiful and favourite daughter, Patricia (newcomer Astrid Bergès-Frisbey), has become pregnant. The father-to-be flies off to war and his parents, local bourgeoisie, decide Patricia is on the make. Torn between love and shame, to avoid scandal, Pascal banishes his daughter to give birth at her aunt‘s house, and it is left to his simple-minded assistant to try to bring about a change of heart.