Le beau mariage

eric rohmer's films are so clearly his. The slow but deliberate pacing and crisp, to-the-point dialogue are two hallmarks of his style for me, and this film is an excellent example of those two qualities.

As with the other rohmer films I have seen, the characters are less individual, specific personalities than they are vessels for a type of person or for one side of an argument. Here we have the two female leads almost skipping exposition entirely, and going straight into philosophical discussions of love and marriage. What I like about monsieur rohmer is that he manages to do this without taking away all our empathy for his characters. He always shows us how the character's hands are played out, so we can see what the result of their actions were, and think about what we would have done, or will do in our lives. tres bien, monsieur rohmer; j'adore vos travails.

Beatrice Romand is a perfect cast for the hot-headed, impetuous, self-confident and immature young girl in the leading role, while Andre Dussollier plays the role of a quintessential bourgeois Frenchman, charming, courteous, discreet, and tactful. His tact has reached the point of being hypocritical which makes the audience exasperate for the young girl, who has been kept on tenterhooks for too long and would not take no for an answer. Her insistent and blind chase of a man who is obviously not interested in her is only made worse by the reticence of the object of her pursuit. Rohmer's films are usually wordy sometimes tedious, they suit only certain type of audience. This one is definitely not tedious. An interesting and comical study of manners and mentalities in different classes of French society of the late 20th century.

I like Rohmer realistic films, without background music, without closeups. A young 23 years old girl, still quite narcissistic, suddenly decides to reshape her life, specifically, to get married. The idea overwhelms her so completely that she's no longer interested in selecting someone she loves, rather impatiently first available candidate. She believes that the power of her charms (looks and personality), her resolve, will win over anyone. She's being supported by her girl-friend and somewhat skeptical but loving mother. Her plans are frustrated despite of her extraordinary efforts. The man is simply not interested.

There are many lessons in this example. Personality of the main character is very well developed, palpable, vital. I feel I knew someone like that. None of the characters are idealized, they all are very real. We see a slice of life, specifically French life, with its values, culture, attitudes.

Rohmer, first and most importantly, a teacher, helps us to see something important in human relationships, something very subtle.

Rohmer died this year at the age of 89. He lived longer than any of the French New Wave directors, a movement he belonged to. He believed that his films are closer to a kind of novel rather than to a theater. In my opinion, his usage of cinematographic tools was too subdued, timid, as if he was not quite sure what to do with them - and this is reflected in my rating. But whatever tools he did used, he did it well. His uniqueness and importance is beyond any doubt.

Frankly, this is not my favourite 'Rohmer': I far preferred Conte D'Hiver, Le Genou De Claire, & Signe Du Lion. Having said that, I still warmed to this quirky but engaging story about an independent, self absorbed, head strong, young lady of 25 who one day decides: enough's enough, it's time for marriage! And then...

Overall, it's a very watchable tale, and well worth your while if watching what happens to someone who suddenly decides it's time to settle down with the right one (i.e., he who she's yet to meet!) appeals to you. Rohmer, directs with mastery. And in saying so, I fear that in the hands of many an other director, I'd have not found the tale so satisfying to watch. Kudos too, must go to Ms Romand (from Rohmer's 'Claire's Knee' & 'Autumn Tale') for her playing the lead character so well. The casting & acting of the other actors was very good too.

Overall, I recommended Le Beau Marriage, with the caveat that it's definitely not a movie that everyone would like. I strongly recommend you read the promo blurb first, and ask yourself if such a story might appeal to you? And if so, by all means you should definitely watch it. For me... I enjoyed it enough to say it's worth - 7/10

I'm a fan of the hushed qualities which are Rohmer's style. I admire the seamless flow between scenes in this film, between Paris, Le mans, the atelier, the train and her mothers house. Noteworthy is the almost complete lack of music as with many of his films, however there is a poignant somewhat outdated 80's electronic tune that runs in the beginning, the credits and at the party.

I found myself a little less hooked emotionally with this film then with 'Le Rayon Vert', 'Pauline a la Plage, and 'L'ami de Mon Amie'. When I watched those films I was really pulled at the heart strings by the plight of some of the characters.

What was different with this film? Well on the contrary to what others have wrote here I didn't find the leading actress Beatrice Romand to be nearly as compelling as Rohmer's other leads. I think she took the idea of a head strong young woman a little too far, ie; marching around like a bulldog for half the film, seemingly bursting in and out where ever she went. I think she could have played the head-strong role with a bit more subtlety. However at the scene of her party and in one of the final scenes in an office she played the role divinely. Particularly at the party there is a sense of tension which is unexplainable which she radiates.

As a big fan of Rohmer and comparing with his other works I give this film a 7. This film for someone who has not experienced a Rohmer film will be like an almigthy gob smack. You will see with the simplest elements and without manipulation he is able to create a sense of compassion for the characters and tension with a slight pacing that resembles real life.