Directors MORE DIRECTORS CHECKLIST SERIES - Volume #243 - THE FILMS OF ERIC ROHMER (1 Viewer)

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Volume #243 - Eric Rohmer
Triple agent (2004)
The Lady and the Duke (2001)
Autumn Tale (1998)
A Summer's Tale (1996)
Rendezvous in Paris (1995)
The Tree, The Mayor and the Mediatheque (1993)
A Winter's Tale (1992)
... aka A Tale of Winter (USA)
A Tale of Springtime (1990)
Jeux de société, Les (1989) (TV)
My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (1987)
... aka Boyfriends and Girlfriends (USA)
Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle (1987)
The Green Ray (1986)
... aka Summer (USA)
... aka The Green Ray
Full Moon in Paris (1984)
Pauline at the Beach (1983)
A Good Marriage (1982)
The Aviator's Wife (1981)
Catherine de Heilbronn (1980) (TV)
Perceval le Gallois (1978)
The Marquise of O (1976)
Love in the Afternoon (1972)
... aka Chloe in the Afternoon (USA)
Claire's Knee (1970)
My Night at Maud's (1969)
Béton dans la ville, La (1969) (TV)
Victor Hugo architecte (1969) (TV)
Louis Lumière (1968) (TV)
Mallarmé (1968) (TV)
Collectionneuse, La (1967)
Fermière à Montfaucon (1967) (TV)
Une étudiante d'aujourd'hui (1966)
Victor Hugo: Les contemplations (Livre V-V) (1966) (TV)
Paris vu par... (1965) (segment "Place de l'Étoile")
... aka Six in Paris
Caractères de La Bruyère, Les (1965) (TV)
Celluloid et la marbre, Le (1965) (TV)
Cinéma de notre temps: Carl Th. Dreyer (1965) (TV)
Don Quichotte (1965) (TV)
Entretien sur Pascal (1965) (TV)
Histoires extraordinaires d'Edgar Poe, Les (1965) (TV)
Perceval ou Le conte du Graal (1965) (TV)
Cabinets de physique au XVIIIème siècle, Les (1964) (TV)
Changing Landscapes (1964) (TV)
Nadja à Paris (1964)
The Girl at the Monceau Bakery (1963)
Suzanne's Career (1963)
Présentation ou Charlotte et son steak (1960)
Signe du lion, Le (1959)
... aka The Sign of Leo
Véronique et son cancre (1958)
The Kreutzer Sonata (1956)
Journal d'un scélérat (1950)

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. The Romance of Astrea and Celedon - B
*22. Suzanne's Career - B
*23. 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.)
24. Six in Paris: Place de l'Étoile - C
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.

As much as I love French cinema, I have never gotten around to seeing an Eric Rohmer film!

NHONS

Ratings out of :star: :star: :star: :star:

ERIC ROHMER (1920 - 2010)
Triple agent (2004)
The Lady and the Duke (2001)
Autumn Tale (1998)
A Summer's Tale (1996)
Rendezvous in Paris (1995)
The Tree, The Mayor and the Mediatheque (1993)
A Winter's Tale (1992)
A Tale of Springtime (1990)
Jeux de société, Les (1989)
My Girlfriend's Boyfriend (1987)
Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle (1987)
The Green Ray (1986)
Full Moon in Paris (1984)
Pauline at the Beach (1983)
A Good Marriage (1982)
The Aviator's Wife (1981)
Catherine de Heilbronn (1980)
Perceval le Gallois (1978)
The Marquise of O (1976)
Chloe in the Afternoon (1972) :star: :star: :star:
Claire's Knee (1970)
My Night at Maud's (1969)
Béton dans la ville, La (1969)
Victor Hugo architecte (1969)
Louis Lumière (1968)
Mallarmé (1968)
Collectionneuse, La (1967)
Fermière à Montfaucon (1967)
Une étudiante d'aujourd'hui (1966)
Victor Hugo: Les contemplations (Livre V-V) (1966)
Six in Paris (1965) (segment "Place de l'Étoile")
Caractères de La Bruyère, Les (1965)
Celluloid et la marbre, Le (1965)
Cinéma de notre temps: Carl Th. Dreyer (1965)
Don Quichotte (1965)
Entretien sur Pascal (1965)
Histoires extraordinaires d'Edgar Poe, Les (1965)
Perceval ou Le conte du Graal (1965)
Cabinets de physique au XVIIIème siècle, Les (1964)
Changing Landscapes (1964)
Nadja à Paris (1964)
The Girl at the Monceau Bakery (1963)
Suzanne's Career (1963)
Présentation ou Charlotte et son steak (1960)
The Sign of Leo (1959)
Véronique et son cancre (1958)
The Kreutzer Sonata (1956)
Journal d'un scélérat (1950)

Triple Agent ***
The Bakery Girl of Monceau ***
Claire's Knee ***
Suzanne's Career ***
Pauline at the Beach ***
Full Moon in Paris ***
Love in the Afternoon ***
My Night at Maud's ***
A Tale of Springtime ***
The Marquise of O ***1/2
La Collectionneuse ***
The Lady and the Duke ***
A Summer's Tale ***1/2
The Aviator's Wife ***
Boyfriends and Girlfriends ***
Summer ***

Just My Girlfriend's Boyfriend, very fun.

The Romance of Astrea and Celadon (2007) :star: :star:
Le Canapé Rouge (2005)
Triple Agent (2004) :star: :star:
The Lady and the Duke (2001) :star: :star:
Autumn Tale (1998) :star: :star: :star:
A Summer's Tale (1996) :star: :star: :star:
Rendezvous in Paris (1995) :star: :star:
The Tree, The Mayor and the Mediatheque (1993)
A Winter's Tale (1992) :star: :star:
A Tale of Springtime (1990) :star: :star: :star:
Les Jeux de société (1989) (TV)
Boyfriends and Girlfriends (1987) :star: :star: :star:
Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle (1987)
The Green Ray (1986) :star: :star: :star: :star: (Own the R2 DVD)
Full Moon in Paris (1984) :star: :star:
Pauline at the Beach (1983) :star: :star: :star:
A Good Marriage (1982) :star: :star: :star:
The Aviator's Wife (1981) :star: :star: :star:
Catherine de Heilbronn (1980) (TV)
Perceval le Gallois (1978) :star: :star: :star:
The Marquise of O (1976) :star: :star: :star:
Love in the Afternoon (1972) :star: :star: :star: (Own the DVD)
Claire's Knee (1970) :star: :star: (Own the DVD)
My Night at Maud's (1969) :star: :star: (Own the DVD)
La Béton dans la ville (1969) (TV)
Victor Hugo architecte (1969) (TV)
Louis Lumière (1968) (TV)
Mallarmé (1968) (TV)
La Collectionneuse (1967) :star: :star: :star: (Own the DVD)
Fermière à Montfaucon (1967) (TV)
Une étudiante d'aujourd'hui (1966) (Own the DVD, haven't watched it yet)
Victor Hugo: Les contemplations (Livre V-V) (1966) (TV)
Paris Seen By (1965) (segment "Place de l'Étoile") :star: :star:
Les Caractères de La Bruyère (1965) (TV)
Le Celluloid et la marbre (1965) (TV)
Cinéma de notre temps: Carl Th. Dreyer (1965) (TV)
Don Quichotte (1965) (TV)
Entretien sur Pascal (1965) (TV) (Own the DVD, haven't watched it yet)
Les Histoires extraordinaires d'Edgar Poe (1965) (TV)
Perceval ou Le conte du Graal (1965) (TV)
Les Cabinets de physique au XVIIIème siècle (1964) (TV)
Changing Landscapes (1964) (TV)
Nadja à Paris (1964) (Own the DVD, haven't watched it yet)
The Girl at the Monceau Bakery (1963) (Own the DVD, haven't watched it yet)
Suzanne's Career (1963) (Own the DVD, haven't watched it yet)
Présentation ou Charlotte et son Steak (1960) (Own the DVD, haven't watched it yet)
The Sign of Leo (1959)
Véronique and Her Dunce (1958) :star: :star: :star: (Own the DVD)
The Kreutzer Sonata (1956)
Journal d'un scélérat (1950)
Seen 22
Own 12

.

Updated:
Pauline at the Beach - A-
Arielle Dombasle, tres belle!!

Updated:
Triple Agent: A-

The Bakery Girl of Monceau *** out of ****

Pauline at the Beach *** out of ****
Ah, nothing like a French talkfest after a month-long binge of horror movies.

The Green Ray (1986) - 8/10
Love in the Afternoon (1972) - 7/10
Claire's Knee (1970) - 7/10
My Night at Maud's (1969) - 8/10
Collectionneuse, La (1967) - 6/10
Une étudiante d'aujourd'hui (1966) - 5/10
Nadja à Paris (1964) - 6/10
The Girl at the Monceau Bakery (1963) - 8/10
Suzanne's Career (1963) - 8/10
Présentation ou Charlotte et son steak (1960) - 6/10
Véronique et son cancre (1958) - 4/10

Suzanne's Career *** out of ****

Full Moon in Paris *** out of ****

Updated:
Four Adventures of Reinette and Mirabelle - B
An odd duck, his only feature length non-doc film I'm aware of that doesn't have a love story of any kind. More of a throwback to the Moral Tales in sensibility than the Comedies et Proverbs or Four Seasons.

Updated:
Rendevous in Paris - B+

Out of :star::star::star::star:
Love in the Afternoon (1972) :star::star::star::star:
My Night at Maud's (1969) :star::star::star::star:
--
H

Love in the Afternoon *** out of ****