I am starting with the works of the French New Wave master, Eric Rohmer. Why? No reason, other than the "Six Moral Tales" series seemed like a nice, easy group of pictures to pull together for my viewing purposes. For now though, we'll have to settle with five--according to the giant online rental company that I am using, "My Night at Maud's" will be available only after a "long wait" (whatever that means). It's ironic, in that "Maud's" is probably Rohmer's best known work in the U.S. But I'll catch up to it eventually and there are still five other great works to enjoy in the meantime.
Rohmer was born in Tulle, a city in southwestern France on March 21, 1920. He lived to the ripe old age of 89, passing away in January of this year. Rohmer's name was a pseudonym, his birth name was Maurice Henri Joseph Scherer. According to Wikipedia, he came up with the name by combining the names of two famous artists: actor and director Erich Von Stroheim and writer Sax Rohmer, author of the "Fu Manchu" series. The pseudonym fit his modus operandi; Rohmer was by all accounts an intensely private (if not reclusive) individual. He said that that was the way he preferred it, that by keeping such a low profile it allowed him to maintain his anonymity and leave him free to film in the streets of Paris as he wished.
Rohmer worked as a teacher, journalist and writer before turning his hand to directing. He also served as the editor of the groundbreaking French journal "Cahiers du Cinema," which was also the breeding ground for other legendary New Wave directors such as Jean-Luc Goddard and Francois Truffaut.
Compared to his colleagues, Rohmer was perhaps the most conservative member of the movement. His style focuses on people, situations and dialogues. His obituary in the New York Times noted that "his films are as much about what does not happen between his characters as what does, a tendency that enchanted critics as often as it drove audience members to distraction." His style was famously criticized by Gene Hackman's character in the 1975 movie "Night Moves" who says, “I saw a Rohmer movie once. It was kind of like watching paint dry.”
Another word frequently associated with is "morality," which is the central theme of the films in our first festival. In each of the "Six Moral Tales," a man, either married or otherwise committed to a relationship, finds himself tempted by another woman. Despite a really strong desire to stray, ultimately, he is able to resist. And while on paper, that doesn't sound like a winning formula for an interesting film (let alone a series of them), Rohmer makes it work. I think the Moral Tales may even be more relevant today than they were 50 or so years ago when Rohmer started his work. Morality is in such short supply nowdays and I would think a film about characters doing the "right" thing (tempted though they may be), would elicit yawns from the movie-going public. In a world where there are web sites devoted to helping you set up an affair and cheat on your spouse, wouldn't it be a good thing to have a little old fashioned commitment? It's not wrong to fantasize but the mind and the body need to remain separate where relationships are concerned. I don't know what Rohmer would make of our society today but I think it's fair to say that he'd probably be regarded with disdain by some. And that would be a shame, because doing the right the thing should never go out of style.
And yet it's interesting to note that in the first film of the film of the cycle, 1962's "The Bakery Girl of Monceau," the line between what's right and not is kind of blurred for me. Obviously for the main character, it is a clear-cut choice and you have to respect him for that. But his choice is based not necessarily on "what is" but instead on "what might be." In this case, the young man (played by the future filmmaker Barbet Schroder) is indeed committed to one girl. But only in his mind--they have spoken only for a few seconds after he arranged to "accidentally" bump into her on a busy street. The rest of the "relationship" has consisted of a passing glances. But the young man is pretty sure he has this one sewn up, because her reaction after their "chance" meeting was not at all negative.
But as luck would have it, things don't go quite that smoothly--they never do when you are chasing your dream girl. The girl, Sylvie, (played by the luminously beautiful--honestly, they just don't make movie stars like they used too--Michele Girardon) abruptly disappears after being pretty much omnipresent around the neighborhood. The young man (who is never named, I wonder if there is a message behind that) wanders the streets looking for her. One day, he chances upon a bakery staffed by 18-year-old Jacqueline (played by Claudine Soubrier, another beauty--but in a completely different way, more "downhome"). The young man eventually starts dropping in each day to buy cookies and pastries and chat up Jacqueline. Eventually (she is very reluctant, probably because of her age and her strict parents), they agree to a date. But when Sylvie unexpectedly turns up, the young man is forced into a choice.
And that's it. Far from watching paint dry, "The Bakery Girl of Monceau" packs a lot of impact into its 24-minute running time. It's a good little film and it was the one that got Rohmer's career moving forward in earnest. The characters are real and (mostly) likeable. They are certainly understandable and I think most of us guys can relate to the young man's mindset throughout this film.
Want to talk about "The Bakery Girl of Monceau" or Eric Rohmer? Leave a comment.
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