Home Theater Forum - View Single Post - MORE DIRECTORS CHECKLIST SERIES - Volume #243

Brook K · 08-03-2005, 03:58 AM

Another of the French New Wave directors, Rohmer is known for his deep affection for character and his conversation filled films. Often making films in cycles that examine moral questions and human foibles, his films are a unique genre unto themselves. Shunning attention and giving few interviews, Rohmer lets his films speak for themselves.

Rohmer is my favorite French director. He has a touch with character and dialogue that I find completely absorbing. His characters are easy to identify with, o-so-human - real people. His characters talk to each other, they have these amazing conversations, expressing themselves in ways I wish I was capable of. Yet in Rohmer's hands, his actors never feel like they are just delivering dialogue, they have a very natural and real style. Location is another important factor in his films. Like a Woody Allen, his films often serve as love letters to the city of Paris or rural locations in the French countryside. Rohmer's films are known for their talkiness, but he often worked with cinematographer Nestor Almendros who gives the films visual touches and lighting that are perfect complements to the stories.

*1. Love in the Afternoon - A (all-time top 15-20, I find this film amazingly perceptive regarding the thoughts of the married man. I identify with the lead character a great deal. This film explores similar themes to Eyes Wide Shut, if more entirely from the male perspective. I think it is better than Eyes in that it stays firmly grounded in reality despite including what I believe is the only instance of a fantasy/dream sequence in Rohmer's oeuvre)
*2. My Girlfriend's Boyfriend - A (too light and inconsequential for some, this is one of my favorite romantic comedies. Intelligent and funny, I can picture Rohmer with a twinkle in his eye as he both meets and defies our expectations for this sort of film)
*3. Perceval Le Gallois - A (A one-of-a-kind Medieval-set film. Made almost as if a 13th century person had access to a camera. With spare, stagey sets that are more representational art than functional, and narrative and expository information delivered by minstrel singers, this is a purely artistic film culminating in a beautifully rendered Passion Play.)
*4. A Tale Of Springtime - A (another intelligent romantic story as a young woman tries to pair an older friend with her father.)
5. Autumn Tale - A (Featuring two actresses from earlier Rohmer films, Marie Rivere and Beatrice Romand, this could serve as the "20 years later" sequel to several of his films. In this wonderfully observed romance, Romand is still looking for love on her own terms)
*6. Full Moon In Paris - A (Rohmer reverses roles here, having the woman be the one who refuses to give up her Parisian apartment and live full time with her man. Rohmer's men are usually much less interesting than his women (with the exception of Love in the Afternoon and a couple of others), but this has an outstandingly emotive supporting role by Fabrice Luchini as the best friend who wishes he could be more)
*7. A Good Marriage - A- (After multiple failed affairs with married men, a woman decides that she MUST get married, unbeknownst to her target)
*8. Claire's Knee - A-
*9. The Aviator's Wife - A- (Guy sees his girlfriend talking to her ex and decides to follow him, in this witty film about the ways we deceive each other and ultimately, ourselves)
*10. The Green Ray - A- (Marie Rivere's superbly emotive performance concerns a desperately lonely young woman who loathes "games" and the expectations of society.)
*11. La Collectioneuse - A- (A beautiful woman brings conflict between two male friends in this film about the ways we both collect and reject experience.)
*12. The Girl at the Monceau Bakery - A- (Charming, uncomplicated romantic short)
*13. Pauline at the Beach - A-
14. Triple Agent - A-
*15. The Marquise of O - B+ (A period piece filmed in German and set in Northern Italy. During a battle a woman passes out after a Russian count saves her from rape. Later she finds herself pregnant but can't remember how she got that way. Her reputation and relationship with her parents is ruined by the scandal. Features Bruno Ganz as the Count)
*16. The Lady and the Duke - B+ (Impressive look that often uses period artwork as backdrops.)
17. Rendevous in Paris - B+
18. Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle - B
19. A Summer's Tale - B (While this has many of the things I love, I do not care for the male lead and that drags this film down to just "good")
*20.Veronique et son cancre - B (Veronique and her Dunce)(funny comedy short in which a young woman tutors a 10/11 year-old boy but can't answer his questions about why the homework he's supposed to be doing is of value)
*21 Suzanne's Career - B
*22. My Night at Maud's - C (The critical favorite of Rohmer's films, this is the one film I couldn't get interested in as so much of the conversation ventured deeply into philosophy and mathematics. I'll revisit it if Criterion ever puts out their long-rumored edition)

Own: 17 (Gave away my Fox/Lorber edition of "Chloe in the Afternoon" since replaced with the R0 UK Arrow Films edition "Love in the Afternoon" which has now been upgraded again with Criterion's Six Moral Tales box.)

Would love to be able to see his remaining films. I believe there are a couple that still haven't been released on DVD anywhere, and one or two that don't have English subtitles.

08-03-2005, 03:58 AM	#2 of 30
Brook K Member Location: St. Louis, MO Join Date: Feb 2000 Local Time: 10:25 PM Local Date: 09-06-2008 Posts: 10,411	Another of the French New Wave directors, Rohmer is known for his deep affection for character and his conversation filled films. Often making films in cycles that examine moral questions and human foibles, his films are a unique genre unto themselves. Shunning attention and giving few interviews, Rohmer lets his films speak for themselves. Rohmer is my favorite French director. He has a touch with character and dialogue that I find completely absorbing. His characters are easy to identify with, o-so-human - real people. His characters talk to each other, they have these amazing conversations, expressing themselves in ways I wish I was capable of. Yet in Rohmer's hands, his actors never feel like they are just delivering dialogue, they have a very natural and real style. Location is another important factor in his films. Like a Woody Allen, his films often serve as love letters to the city of Paris or rural locations in the French countryside. Rohmer's films are known for their talkiness, but he often worked with cinematographer Nestor Almendros who gives the films visual touches and lighting that are perfect complements to the stories. 1. Love in the Afternoon - A (all-time top 15-20, I find this film amazingly perceptive regarding the thoughts of the married man. I identify with the lead character a great deal. This film explores similar themes to Eyes Wide Shut, if more entirely from the male perspective. I think it is better than Eyes in that it stays firmly grounded in reality despite including what I believe is the only instance of a fantasy/dream sequence in Rohmer's oeuvre) 2. My Girlfriend's Boyfriend - A (too light and inconsequential for some, this is one of my favorite romantic comedies. Intelligent and funny, I can picture Rohmer with a twinkle in his eye as he both meets and defies our expectations for this sort of film) 3. Perceval Le Gallois - A (A one-of-a-kind Medieval-set film. Made almost as if a 13th century person had access to a camera. With spare, stagey sets that are more representational art than functional, and narrative and expository information delivered by minstrel singers, this is a purely artistic film culminating in a beautifully rendered Passion Play.) 4. A Tale Of Springtime - A (another intelligent romantic story as a young woman tries to pair an older friend with her father.) 5. Autumn Tale - A (Featuring two actresses from earlier Rohmer films, Marie Rivere and Beatrice Romand, this could serve as the "20 years later" sequel to several of his films. In this wonderfully observed romance, Romand is still looking for love on her own terms) 6. Full Moon In Paris - A (Rohmer reverses roles here, having the woman be the one who refuses to give up her Parisian apartment and live full time with her man. Rohmer's men are usually much less interesting than his women (with the exception of Love in the Afternoon and a couple of others), but this has an outstandingly emotive supporting role by Fabrice Luchini as the best friend who wishes he could be more) 7. A Good Marriage - A- (After multiple failed affairs with married men, a woman decides that she MUST get married, unbeknownst to her target) 8. Claire's Knee - A- 9. The Aviator's Wife - A- (Guy sees his girlfriend talking to her ex and decides to follow him, in this witty film about the ways we deceive each other and ultimately, ourselves) 10. The Green Ray - A- (Marie Rivere's superbly emotive performance concerns a desperately lonely young woman who loathes "games" and the expectations of society.) 11. La Collectioneuse - A- (A beautiful woman brings conflict between two male friends in this film about the ways we both collect and reject experience.) 12. The Girl at the Monceau Bakery - A- (Charming, uncomplicated romantic short) 13. Pauline at the Beach - A- 14. Triple Agent - A- 15. The Marquise of O - B+ (A period piece filmed in German and set in Northern Italy. During a battle a woman passes out after a Russian count saves her from rape. Later she finds herself pregnant but can't remember how she got that way. Her reputation and relationship with her parents is ruined by the scandal. Features Bruno Ganz as the Count) 16. The Lady and the Duke - B+ (Impressive look that often uses period artwork as backdrops.) 17. Rendevous in Paris - B+ 18. Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle - B 19. A Summer's Tale - B (While this has many of the things I love, I do not care for the male lead and that drags this film down to just "good") 20.Veronique et son cancre - B (Veronique and her Dunce)(funny comedy short in which a young woman tutors a 10/11 year-old boy but can't answer his questions about why the homework he's supposed to be doing is of value) 21 Suzanne's Career - B 22. My Night at Maud's - C (The critical favorite of Rohmer's films, this is the one film I couldn't get interested in as so much of the conversation ventured deeply into philosophy and mathematics. I'll revisit it if Criterion ever puts out their long-rumored edition) Own: 17 (Gave away my Fox/Lorber edition of "Chloe in the Afternoon" since replaced with the R0 UK Arrow Films edition "Love in the Afternoon" which has now been upgraded again with Criterion's Six Moral Tales box.) Would love to be able to see his remaining films. I believe there are a couple that still haven't been released on DVD anywhere, and one or two that don't have English subtitles. I know what I'm gonna do tomorrow, and the next day, and the next year, and the year after that. - George Bailey* 2002 Sight & Sound Challenge: 313 Last Watched: Time of the Gypsies Last 10 Films Watched: Foreign Correspondent - B / The Small Back Room - B+ Days of Wine and Roses - B / Redbelt - C Torn Curtain - C+ / The Wrong Man - B+ Dial M for Murder - B+ / I Confess - A- Star Wars: The Clone Wars - C+ / Brand Upon the Brain! - B+ DVD BEAVER My Collection Last edited by Brook K : 03-23-2007 at 11:33 AM.