| AUTUMN TALE Director: Eric Rohmer "Rohmer is very precise in his "constructions". He quite often knew already what the final film would "feel " like before we cut it. He loves to use "champ/contre-champ" (shot-countershot), therefore the "listener" becomes an active participant as well in the conversation. We always look for "interesting reactions" on the listener's face." Mary Stephen Rohmer's editor (interview from Senses of Cinema.) Eric Rohmer has been making films for over 30 years and they still speak to men and women about relationships better than most books on the subject and better than any TV soap opera does. His films exemplify in a positive way the meaning of "foreign art house cinema" due to their intellectual subject matter, their heady discussions concerning the battle of the sexes, their warm wit and their refusal to find a shallow denouement. Basically the men and women of his films talk about relationships, what they mean and how they are defined within the parameters of our (or at least French) society. Characters often face moral dilemmas concerning relationships and must confront one another on their feelings, their doubts, their beliefs and their faith in them. These aren't popcorn movies but much better because they are as satisfying to watch and as intellectually absorbing as a good book is to read. Because of this, Rohmer fans are as dedicated to his films as Scorsese fans are to his. Rohmer often places his films within a series of other related films: His most famous series of films are Six Moral Talers and Comedies and Proverbs. This film is the last in his current cycle, entitled "Tales of the Four Seasons." Rohmer usually takes time setting up the French milieu, whether it be Paris or somewhere in the various beautiful outdoor locations he frequently uses. This one has numerous shots of an Indian summer in the countryside where the main character lives and -- like many of his other films -- is as mellow paced as a bucolic summer afternoon. What's more, he lets us see his characters in their environment with few edits and by holding relatively long steady shots on them as they speak. This technique puts the full focus of a scene onto the character and the environment that they live in. For this reason there are rarely any meaningless characters in Rohmer films; everyone gets his or her full screen time. The story within the film is about forty-something widow Magali (Beatrice Romand), who's too busy working on her vineyard and too independently minded to have a social life or date men. She believes she has no chance to meet the right guy so she stubbornly stays away from the dating game, choosing instead to be complacent in her comfort and have friends come to her. Her best friend Isabelle (Marie Riviere) and her son's girlfriend Rosine (Alexia Portal) -- knowing how finicky she can be --try secretly (unbeknownst to one another) to bring a man into her life. Isabelle finds a man through a print ad while Rosine tries to set her up with a philosophy teacher she's been seeing. What's funny is that they both separately plan to invite the men to an end of the summer wedding and casually make introductions. As in many Rohmer films the characters drive the plot rather than the other way around and the story pivots on the whims of the women characters and the decisions they make. Best of all is the way the plot works on accomplished psychological levels that figure into the narrative. For example, in this film both women seem to be setting up these men against their own will because they realize they have feelings for the men they are trying to pawn off on Magali. True to life, this gives the film a precarious edge and naturally leads to an ending that's somewhat open to interpretation. Spending two hours watching a Rohmer movie is far more valuable than reading a self-help book on the subject. In Rohmer you'll find moral tales that may fit a likely scenario you have been in, and if not, in case you're in France it will teach you how to sound sophisticated about relationships should you be in France someday. Or if you want to impress someone who only watches Hollywood romance movies. Matt Langdon HOME / REVIEWS / BOX OFFICE / LINKS |