Conte d'automne (1998)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Eric Rohmer

Writer:

Eric Rohmer (writer)

Release Date:

23 September 1998 (Belgium)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

Magali, 45, is a wine producer in the south of France. She's a widow, and her best friend, Isabelle...

Plot Keywords:

Wedding | Matchmaker | Human Relationship | Slice Of Life | Women

Awards:

4 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Marie Rivière	...	Isabelle
Béatrice Romand	...	Magali
Alain Libolt	...	Gérald
Didier Sandre	...	Étienne
Alexia Portal	...	Rosine
Stéphane Darmon	...	Léo
Aurélia Alcaïs	...	Émilia
Matthieu Davette	...	Grégoire
Yves Alcaïs	...	Jean-Jacques

Also Known As:

Autumn Tale (Canada: English title) (USA)

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild thematic elements.

Runtime:

112 min

Country:

France

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Canada:PG (Ontario) | Argentina:Atp | Brazil:12 | Denmark:A | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:o.Al. | Italy:T | Philippines:G | Portugal:M/12 | Sweden:Btl | Switzerland:7 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:7 (canton of Vaud) | UK:U | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Bourg-Saint-Andéol, Ardèche, France

Company:

La Sept Cinéma

Movie Connections:

Featured in Venus Talking (2001)

Another little Rohmer ditty; another pleasant diversion.

I've been a fan of Eric Rohmer's for many years. Like him, I'm growing older and mellower. I've become more accepting of his post-1972 works which I believe are less compelling or as cinematically important as his earlier My Night at Maud's, Claire's Knee and Chloe in the Afternoon. (Pauline at the Beach is one possible exception from his more recent efforts.) I consider those three works to be ground breaking, innovative and original. Since then, there's been a degree of repetition in his films: usually petulant, whining young women forever manipulating the men around them and complaining about the unfairness of life. However, Rohmer manages to transcend the grating flaws of the women central to his narrative with witty dialogue, believable situations and wonderful French locations. Although Marie Riviere is one of Rohmer's favourites, in several of his films she has created one of the most irritating female characters to grace the screen over the last twenty years – vain, selfish, uncompromising and unquenchable. But somehow Rohmer uses her each time in a way that holds the narrative together and achieves generally satisfying denouements. I don't think Autumn Tale is one of his best, but it's a lot better than most of the tosh coming out of Hollywood. 7 ½ out of 10.