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Movies Forum Index » International Movies Forum » _The Good Marriage_, _La Collectionneuse_
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 Posted: Sat Sep 29, 2007 8:09 pm |
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_The Good Marriage_ was never one of my favorite Rohmers.
I'm not sure it is today, but upon rewatching it I now realize
it may be one of his best. It is perhaps the most class-conscious
of Rohmer's films, with Beatrice Romand playing a art world sales
person trying to marry her way up the social ladder. Her object of
pursuit is a young André Dussollier, a lawyer, who stays off screen
for a good part of the film. Instead, the class/ideological conflict
mainly occurs between Romand and Dussollier's cousin and
Romand's best friend played by Arielle Dombasle. She is not
just a successful artist, married to a doctor, is extremely stylish
and the most hard-stoppingly glamorous character in all of Rohmer's
films. Sheis also a romantic. The scene where she expouses her
"principle of love" simply makes for one of the most seductive
speeches in cinema. Of course, it gets her best friend in really deep
trouble. Romand (and Rohmer) makes no attempts to disguise
the humble station or pettiness of Romand's character. This
is one of the "comedy and proverb" films but is really uncomfortable
to watch, especially since I've met so many more hustlers and
social climbers in recent years! As non-judgemental as ever,
Rohmer is also at his most explicit in tackling the power struggle
between man and woman, he makes me sympathize with the
protagonist. The film is amazing to look at even on DVD. It is set
in the old quarters of Le Mans, the narrow cobble stone street, the
cozy interior scenes with quaint purple color motifs, grand cathedral
inteiors; and the expansive outdoor wedding receptions
all enhance the look of the film, make it almost a mid-career review
for Rohmer's visual looks (it reminds me of _Autumn's Tale_ and
_My Night at Maud's_, among others). The extended conversation
also stand out; the camera focuses on one character for the length
of almost an entire verbal exchange, taking in her reaction shots
instead of cutting away. It is a magnificent film. As uncomfortably
realistic as it is, perhaps I should buy a copy myself.
I saw _La Collectionneuse_ on the Fox-Lorber DVD, which is a complete
waste of Nestor Almendros' camera work. The colors are horribly
faded.
The characters are just as deluded as Rohmer's later ones, with the
exception that they don't try to be righteous; they actively try to be
nihilistic and disgusting. In a way that's really the main difference
between Rohmer's early films and his post-_My Night at Maud's_ work.
Although many of his more unpleasant characters in his later films
are women, and perhaps it is harder for me to be so judgemental about
them. |
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