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If it makes you feel any better, L'Arbre, le maire et la médiathêque is pretty incomprehensible even with subtitles, unless you have a good working knowledge of the machinations of local French politics.

There's a reason it's one of the only Rohmers never to get British distribution - in fact, I believe it barely played anywhere outside France!

You're definitely right about that film -- I saw it at the Walter Reade Theater in '93, I believe, and it probably hasn't been shown in NYC since!

And a happy birthday to Eric Rohmer, 88 today!

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I found a Tale of Springtime utterly sublime - a visual tour de force, beautifully paced it is a work which requires several viewings perhaps to weave its magic...but it is certainly there.
Rohmer in my book is nothing short of a genius.

With my review of Autumn Tale, I've now completed Rohmer's Four Seasons cycle, which is mostly great. It's interesting that, with the exception of the final film in the series, these films, which Rohmer made while in his 70s, all deal with very young characters, and do so with depth and realism.

The others: A Tale of Springtime, A Winter's Tale, A Summer's Tale.

sevenarts wrote:With my review of Autumn Tale, I've now completed Rohmer's Four Seasons cycle, which is mostly great. It's interesting that, with the exception of the final film in the series, these films, which Rohmer made while in his 70s, all deal with very young characters, and do so with depth and realism.

The others: A Tale of Springtime, A Winter's Tale, A Summer's Tale.

Young characters yes, but often characters wiser than their age juxtaposed against their peers.

I think I prefer this series to his Comedies and Proverbs.

justeleblanc wrote:Young characters yes, but often characters wiser than their age juxtaposed against their peers.

I think I prefer this series to his Comedies and Proverbs.

Very true, Rohmer's characters are always eloquent and intelligent, even his young characters.

I definitely prefer the Comedies & Proverbs, though. The last three films of the Four Seasons cycle are great (Springtime is OK, but definitely a lesser work), but to me Rohmer's definitive achievements are Pauline at the Beach, The Aviator's Wife, The Green Ray, the utterly delightful and lesser-known My Girlfriend's Boyfriend. But this is just a matter of degree, if you ask me. There are few directors who were so consistent over such a long period of time, and who worked within such a well-defined range for so long without becoming tedious or repetitive. It's striking that Rohmer's films from the 90s are generally not very different from his films from the 70s, and yet the way he crafts variations on his signature concerns and situations keeps him from ever settling into a rut.

Anyone have any thoughts on Astree and Celadon? I thought it was a beautiful final film but one I thanked God I saw at home on DVD. I can imagine this getting the Barmy-est of Barmy Crowd Reactions in a theatre

A quite charming film... In old age Rohmer seeking and finding a drama of simplicity and sophistication in youth (again), not of today but in an a mythical idyll of the distant past, that still indeed could be in the present... It's a piece that clearly fits in the jigsaw of his career...

It definitely is the center piece and outlier of Rohmer's career. Either A+C or the Green Ray would have to be my favorite actually.

domino harvey wrote:Anyone have any thoughts on Astree and Celadon?

I loved it which didn't surprise me but what did surprise me and what especially impressed me was the accomplishment of the final few minutes. There is some really rare and vital stuff going on here: a gradually escalating and earned emotional pinnacle both profoundly moving and raw in its extraordinary layered erotic effect. And this is all tied up in and related to the very arcane nature of the story Rohmer is telling and the way he is telling it. In other words, the power of the finale would be absent without it and that is perhaps his ultimate point.

Even this achievement though should not have been met with such surprise given the fact that it merely reaffirmed Rohmer's position as a great Romantic. His sensibility, pure and potent, will be missed that's for sure.

Eric Rohmer
Will get a english link soon
Edit: ah well here

He will be missed.

I was lucky enough to speak with one of his producers for The Romance of Astrea and Celadon a few years back at the NYFF. He provided me with plenty of insights into his working methods. His work gave me a particular delight after having admired the work of Whit Stillman in the 90's. It was from perceptive reviews of Stillman's work that introduced me to Rohmer and the likeness of the two in their approach of dialogue moving the plot rather than clumsy exposition. It's quite likely Criterion shall release his other collections, and I look forward to seeing them again.

bearcuborg - i'd love to hear more about Rohmer's working method if you could?

This is very very sad news, I hoped he'd get one more film out; a true individual of cinema

I just barely watched his Lady and the Duke. He'll be missed, but will live on through his great films.

I need to see more of his work, but My Night at Maud's left my jaw on the floor. Incredible film, and I feel it is an important precursor to My Dinner with Andre.

I just watched Les amours d'Astrée et de Céladon a couple days ago, beautiful film. All things considered, it's amazing the longevity most of the New Wave filmmakers have had. We should all be so lucky...

Sad news. I've not seen all of his films, but the Six Moral Tales films are simply monumental. RIP.

EDIT: Dave Kehr just posted an obit in his blog.

This is terrible, but at least he left behind a house of work. Not too many can claim that.

One of the most generous of filmmakers and, let's not forget, writers. R.I.P.

Terrible news. He was one of the last of the greats. I'll be pulling the Six Moral Tales box off the shelf for sure this week.

If I do a mini-retrospective, it will feature two films set in summer -- and one (or two) set in winter.