Hairdresser Felicie has a passionate affair with Charles while on holiday. Four years on and now unable to choose between two new suitors, she clings to the memory. Rohmer again looks between his characters' words at the reasons which Reason cannot comprehend.
Contes des Quatre Saisons
Eric Rohmer wrote of Bazin’s classic, Qu’est-ce que le cinema, “these pages, each relating to an individual case, are nevertheless part o... more >
Contes des Quatre Saisons
Eric Rohmer wrote of Bazin’s classic, Qu’est-ce que le cinema, “these pages, each relating to an individual case, are nevertheless part of the unfolding of a methodical plan which is now revealed to us”.One might say the same of his own Contes des Quatre Saisons.
How do his four tales complement one another.? The seasonal setting of each film is important to the story it tells. Springtime is innocence, as Jeanne is invited home to meet her friend’s father. Summer is plenty, as young Gaspard has to choose between his three graces. For Felicie, Winter is compounded of both passionate memory and miraculous rebirth. Finally, the shadows of Autumn lengthen with age into a search for relationships that once came as easily and inevitably as the Spring.
What is the special quality of a Rohmer film? It moves as slowly as a fisherman’s float, so that one isn’t aware of being drawn in. It accords words and images equal importance. It is a fascinated – and fascinating – study of the minutiae of life and relationships. Finally, each asserts its claim to be considered separately as a work of art. One example – part of A Winter’s Tale is an extract from Shakespeare’s play of the same name. The film works in its own right, but also triggers recall, not just of the scene, but of the final impact of Shakespeare’s great play. Modern and classical merge and the effect of such parallelism as is both timeless and unforgettable.
