Film Review
Eric Rohmer brings his series of six moral tales to a close with
L'Amour l'après-midi
, a charming romantic comedy which is as much a conventional bourgeois satire as a
characteristically Rohmeresque portrait of temptation and desire.
Somewhat lighter in tone (and also less intellectual) than the previous five tales in
the
Six Contes Moraux series, the sixth is also the most banal, telling a comparatively
simple story of a man wondering whether or not he should extra-marital affair. Rohmer
skilfully avoids the conventional stereotypes and, thanks to sympathetic and magnificently
ambiguous performances from Bernard Verley and Zouzou (who play the husband and his temptress),
the film manages to be one of his most uplifting and engaging.
The most memorable part of this film is the surreal dream sequence near the start of the
film, where the central character Frédéric manages to make an easy seduction
of a succession of beautiful young women (including Françoise Fabian, Béatrice
Romand and Marie-Christine Barrault) with the help of a flashing talisman. It's the maddest
thing you'll find in any Rohmer film, but perfectly inserted into the main narrative.
© James Travers 2002
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Eric Rohmer film:
Die Marquise von O... (1976)
Film Synopsis
Frédéric had thought that by marrying Hélène
he would never again be tempted by another woman. But after just a
few years of married life the successful businessman realises he was deluding
himself. Although his feelings towards his wife have never changed,
he feels increasingly hemmed in by his matrimonial vows, and in his state
of self-imposed restraint he fantasises more and more about other women.
And then Chloé, a former lover, suddenly walks into his office.
After her latest relationship breakdown, it seems that Chloé is badly in
need of moral support and this she believes Frédéric can provide.
Frédéric is only too pleased to act as her unpaid counsellor
and he begins to behave like the typical unfaithful husband - agreeing to
meet up in the afternoons in secret and lying to his wife, even though the
affair, if it can be called that, remains strictly platonic. When Chloé
returns to him after a brief time in Italy Frédéric is ready
to give up everything to be her lover. Now that he finally has what
he has yearned for all these years - a willing and desirable mistress - Frédéric
suddenly realises what a fool he has been...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.