Year: 1966
Far from being like "watching paint dry"--the now-infamous quote spoken by Gene Hackman's character in the film "Night Moves" describing what it's like to watch a Rohmer film--these films that comprise the Six Moral Tales series are small masterpieces. It's a shame that virtually all the obituaries I read about Rohmer (and I did read quite a few as I was educating myself in preparation for starting this FilmFest) makes note of that quote. It's unfair that many will know Rohmer only through that quote. Certainly his films are not for everyone, and they are not typical of mainstream movie-making today (or even at the time they were made). There is talking--a LOT of talking--and lots of voice-over narration (at least in the three that I've seen so far). Not a heck of a lot happens. The characters can be maddening at times, annoying at others and somewhat self-absorbed. Their motivations aren't always clear (which for someone like me, who is continuing to learn and grow in his appreciation of cinema, is a good thing. I think watching these Rohmer films is helping me learn better the art of "watching" a film). But, so far, my interest hasn't waned and my admiration for Rohmer's work is growing with each film. It's easy to see what all the fuss was about--he is working on a whole, 'nother level.
Moving away from the urban settings of "Bakery Girl" and "Suzanne's Career," "La Collectionneuse" takes place in at a magnificent country home in St. Tropez. The ocean's nearby, the sun is bright and warming and the air is thick with the sounds of birds chirping, roosters crowing and dogs barking? Ahh, life--what else could you want from a vacation? If sounds pretty good to Adrien (Patrick Bauchau), an antiques dealer who wants to do absolutely nothing while on holiday. Also sharing the home are his friend Daniel (Daniel Pommereulle), a wacked-out artist and Adrien's partner-in-crime and a young girl named Haydee.
The smoky-voiced Haydee (Haydee Politoff) is the most interesting character in the movie. We first see her in a prologue, walking back and forth along the beach in a sexy bikini. The camera lingers on her legs, her neck and her shoulders, giving us a good, long look at her beauty (I'll say again and I don't want to beat this point into the ground because I don't want to end up sounding obsessed, but the main women characters in Rohmer's films have a "something" that is just hard to put your finger on. They are beautiful sure, but not in the traditional way, but there is something more that makes them almost impossible to resist. Both to the male characters and to the male viewer. I would go so far as to say Rohmer's representation of female beauty in this series is one of the strongest ever on screen). It's really hard not to be riveted by Haydee--in one scene she is making a call and has to spell her name. In the time it takes to say H-A-Y-D-E-E, I was smitten forever.
But I digress, and that's easy to do when Haydee is around. She is a sensual hedonist--her every move just screams "sex." She also has no shortage of male suitors, a fact that quickly gets on Adrien's nerves (especially when the giggling from her room keeps him awake at night). Haydee's carefree ways are making it hard for Adrien to do the nothing he so desires and he and Daniel soon start ganging up on her, calling her names and generally acting boorishly. Even the way Adrien addresses her, drawing out the name "HAAAAYDEE," sounds like a taunt. They dub her "The Collector," because of all the fellows she collects. Soon though, she and Daniel begin a short-lived affair. Adrien though, interprets this act as Haydee's way of going after HIM. He reasons this out thoroughly in the voice-over narration and does quite the job of convincing himself that Haydee is desperately wanting to bed him. Haydee, for her part is indifferent to pretty much everything. She smiles enigmatically and it's impossible to know what wheels are spinning in her head.
Daniel eventually puts an end to the affair (in a petulantly, over-the-top fashion) and soon leaves for the Seychelles. Adrien and Haydee continue to spar and things taking another turn with the arrival of Sam (Eugene Archer as Seymour Hertzberg), an American who is a potential business partner for Adrien. An antique Chinese vase comes into play too. The ending is probably inevitable, given the actions of Adrien and Daniel and totally believable too, given the motivations and personalities of the characters.
This is a subtle, gorgeous movie. Gorgeous in the sense of physical scenery--the South of France backdrop is stunning and is stunningly photographed by Nestor Almendros. The film fairly shimmers and the tones and textures are really quite remarkable. I liked this a lot--it made me work a lot more as a viewer than "Bakery Girl" or "Suzanne's Career" did, but I enjoyed the right. Not to mention the views.
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