Film Review
This is the final chapter in Rohmer's ambitious Four Seasons cycle of films, and in many
ways it is the sunniest and most entertaining, warmer even than the preceding
Conte d'été (1996).
As we have come to expect of Rohmer,
his script sparkles with intelligence and warmth, whilst his characters are fully formed,
likeable and completely believable. What this film shows more than anything is Rohmer's
understanding of the aspirations and behaviour of all his protagonists - men and women,
teenagers and mature adults alike. His characters behave so naturally that, by the
end of the film, you film as if you almost know them personally - and, often, that you
wish you could meet them again in real life.
The theme for this film is maturity, achieving fulfilment in middle-age. The autumnal
theme, complete with the wine harvest, provides an appropriate backdrop against which
to set an engaging personal story: a lonely middle-aged woman's hopes to find a new husband.
Béatrice Romand (who had featured in the director's previous
Le Beau mariage and
Le Rayon vert)
is delightful as the wine-grower Magali, giving a convincing and
moving performance as the woman who secretly yearns for love but who seems resigned to
the fact that she will never find it. Although she is the centre-piece of
the film, she does not eclipse the supporting characters, all of whom seem equally well-formed
and have their own personal traumas.
It is true that there is not much in the way of a plot, but with such beautiful location
filming and such exquisite writing, that hardly seems to matter a jot. For Rohmer
what matters most is exploring human relationships through a simple, unconvoluted story,
using natural but incisive dialogue to add depth and purpose to his characterisation.
In this film, he achieves that goal and gives us one of the most insightful and beautiful
works of French cinema in recent years.
© James Travers 2001
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Next Eric Rohmer film:
L'Anglaise et le duc (2001)
Film Synopsis
Magali is an attractive widow in her mid-forties who, since her children
left home, now lives alone, tending to her large vineyard in the Rhone valley.
Her friend Isabelle knows she is pining to have a new man in her life and
sets about trying to remedy the situation, by putting a personal ad in the
local newspaper (something that Magali would never dream of doing herself).
Isabelle receives several responses to the ad and the man she selects is
Gérard, a good-looking sales rep. Disappointed that Isabelle
is not herself looking for love, Gérard agrees to meet Magali at her
home. Meanwhile, Rosine, the girlfriend of Magali's son Léo,
also decides to indulge in a spot of matchmaking. The man she thinks
will be ideal for the solitary winegrower is Étienne, her former philosophy
teacher, with whom she once had an affair...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.