Film Review
Arguably the most visually poetic of Rohmer's films in his series of
Comédies
et Proverbes,
Le Rayon vert is an engaging, wistful tale which easily evokes
the sense of yearning and isolation which marks many of Rohmer's better films.
There are some strong similarities with the director's more recent film,
La Conte d'été
, although here the central character, Delphine (magnificently portrayed by Marie
Rivière, who improvised much of the dialogue) appears to be locked into a hopeless
situation where she has no choices to improve her situation, quite the opposite to
La
Conte d'été . With its allusions to fortune reading and supernatural
influences,
Le Rayon vert is much more about chance than individual choice.
As in all of Rohmer's films, the cinematographic style takes precedence over the narrative,
although this film appears to be more directionless than most of his films. Whilst
this creates a sense of frustration at times, the mesmerising effect of Rohmer's approach,
with its emphasis on capturing life as it really is, reinforced with strong natural sounds,
maintains the viewer's attention. The film's beautiful resolution, a harmonious
fusion of the spiritual and the corporeal, makes this both a memorable and immensely satisfying
work of cinema.
© James Travers 2001
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Next Eric Rohmer film:
L'Ami de mon amie (1987)
Film Synopsis
The start of July marks the beginning of the summer holidays for Delphine,
a young secretary living in Paris, but her plans are ruined when her fiancé
Jean-Pierre breaks off their engagement. With no great enthusiasm,
she tags along with her a girlfriend to Cherbourg, but having grown bored
she soon makes her way back to Paris. Delphine's restless soul takes
her on to the French Alps, back to Paris and then off to Biarritz.
It is in the latter venue that she hears the tale of the Green Ray. According
to the legend, it is by watching the last fleeting shaft of light from the
setting sun that you know for certain whether you can trust your feelings
for someone else.
Her stay in sunny Biarritz proving to be as tedious and uneventful as her
previous sojourns, despite a few days spent in the company of a friendly
Scandinavian woman, Delphine soon makes up her mind to return to Paris.
It is now the start of August and her holidays are already at an end.
At the train station, she strikes up an acquaintance with a young carpenter,
Vincent, and feels strangely drawn to him. Unsure whether she can trust
her emotions after her previous disappointment in love, Delphine waits until
nightfall. As she watches the sun sink below the horizon she realises
that her feelings for Vincent are genuine and that a new romance beckons...
© James Travers
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