Country: FR
Technical: bw 103m
Director: Éric Rohmer
Cast: Jess Hahn, Michèle Girardon, Van Doude
Synopsis:
An American musician in Paris, prone to leaning on his friends for enjoyment of the high life, is disappointed in the expectation of a legacy from a defunct aunt, and wanders the city, locked out of his apartment, penniless, and discovering that all his acquaintances seem to have abandoned the capital for the summer.
Review:
The astrological reference has to be caught at the opening, and is intended as counterpoint to a prolonged study of the protagonist's descent to tramp status. His fall from grace could be attributed to his fecklessness and exploitation of his friends, but he remains irretrievably grounded by the star sign's malign influence, until that is the alignments change and his luck also. He, however, seems to have learnt nothing. It can seem a bit didactic, first effort by the director and all, and is laconically free of the trademark dialogue exchanges, but it is better filmed than most in gleaming monochrome, and offers one of the best snapshots in cinema of a time and place (and currency).
Country: FR
Technical: bw 103m
Director: Éric Rohmer
Cast: Jess Hahn, Michèle Girardon, Van Doude
Synopsis:
An American musician in Paris, prone to leaning on his friends for enjoyment of the high life, is disappointed in the expectation of a legacy from a defunct aunt, and wanders the city, locked out of his apartment, penniless, and discovering that all his acquaintances seem to have abandoned the capital for the summer.
Review:
The astrological reference has to be caught at the opening, and is intended as counterpoint to a prolonged study of the protagonist's descent to tramp status. His fall from grace could be attributed to his fecklessness and exploitation of his friends, but he remains irretrievably grounded by the star sign's malign influence, until that is the alignments change and his luck also. He, however, seems to have learnt nothing. It can seem a bit didactic, first effort by the director and all, and is laconically free of the trademark dialogue exchanges, but it is better filmed than most in gleaming monochrome, and offers one of the best snapshots in cinema of a time and place (and currency).
