Catches your attention early; deeply interesting to watch; powerful impact. You'll never forget it. Jean De Florette stands on its own -- Manon of the Spring is a sequel, to be watched only if you've first seen "Jean", and it nicely closes out the pair of films.

A Kurasawa film that (for some reason) seems to appeal far more to men than women. An older man thinks he's quite ill, and searches some meaning in his life. Toward the end of the film, we begin to understand what he ultimately found as the meaning or purpose of his life, and it's simply beautiful. But, the film is longer and slower than you may wish to see, even for a foreign film.

Absolutely powerful, absolutely gripping, the love story imbedded in this medieval tale is so utterly believable that it will no doubt deeply move you.

You'll have to forget about the idea of love interests, which are always inserted into Western films. This film is a slow-paced but gripping story of a rag-tag bunch of down-on-their-luck samurai, each noble in his own way, who are so desperate for work that they take on a mission to protect a small impoverished village from a group of bandits.

This film, made just before the destruction of European Jewry, captures such a feel for that culture, particularly in Maurice Schwartz's perfectly nuanced performance, that it will stay with you. Powerful and heart-wrenching.

A charming, warm film of remembrance of one's childhood.