Les âges du coeur

This is a wonderful and tender story about a young woman coming of age and within that, finding a deeper love within her soul with a man who just happens to be older. The beauty of this tale is there was never a physical relationship between the two but more importantly, this movie shows and demonstrates if this were a perfect work, how pure and blind love can and maybe should be.

Tatum played this part perfectly as a young teenage girl falling in love with a man, Richard Burton who showed and gave her respect, love, honesty and trust. Richard plays an out of work painter who was on his last leg when this bright light came into his world. This light shined so loudly it overwhelmed him and in doing so, sparked new life into his tired and somewhat forgotten soul. He begins to paint again and thus he is reborn.

I personally enjoyed and love what this movie stands for. If you have ever loved and lost and yet never ever forgotten the truth that was there when you felt such powerful and sincere emotions, then this movie is indeed for you.

This movie belongs right along with such classics as Roman Holiday, A portrait of Jenny and any movie where color and age are timeless.

The promise Tatum O'Neal showed as a little girl clearly didn't pan out, as evidenced by this obscure Canadian production about a schoolgirl who has an affair (of the heart) with 60-year old painter Richard Burton. Her delivery is unforgivably flat - she is clearly giving readings, especially in the closing scene - and the production lackluster on every level. Even Burton's performance is much weaker than he is capable of, stiff and stagy, and hardly justifying the attraction this girl a third his age is supposed to feel for him.

The director takes the material seriously and keeps it from degenerating into exploitation (except for momentarily, in a lurid and ridiculous attempted rape sequence)... if only he managed to keep the audience interested. The plot plods and meanders, and the script seems to think it has something to significant to say, but can't decide what. If anyone is for some reason interested in seeing Tatum O'Neal's breasts (curious, considering that she must have been only 16 or 17 when the film was made), this is the place. Otherwise, Circle of Two should be of little interest to anyone.

The relationship between a burnt-out painter of 60 and the schoolgirl who inspires him to start working again. She falls for him, he keeps her at arm's length, but the strain of pubescent desire is too much and she starts to crack. Tatum O'Neal is lovely in this film. She's not a lazy actress, she simply doesn't ham it up like today's teen players. The sequence where she hopes to seduce painter Richard Burton by disrobing in his studio is quite sad (she wants to surprise him, he surprises her by getting angry). The scene with Tatum and Richard hanging out with a group of her school-friends is wonderful (none of the girls judge him or second-guess her) and O'Neal is sweet promising to return to Burton as quickly as she can ("I'll break all speed records!" she tells him). There are no "Lolita" overtones here. Tatum plays a fairly normal teenager who develops a crush on a fascinating man who is much older. Her heart is bound to get broken, and Burton tries his best to steer her through this. It's a simple, no-frills Canadian drama that will appeal to romantics and young women who may have experienced a crush like this along the way. **1/2 from ****

Circle of Two stars Richard Burton and Tatum O'Neal as a 60-is artist and sixteen year old girl caught in unusual love. There both quite good here, the story is handled very tastefully. I recently re-watched this movie after many years and was pleasantly surprised at how good it really is.

Is it a great, can't miss, movie? No, but its certainly much better than its maligned reputation would have you believe. The love is pure and platonic, though sexual desire is clearly felt by both. Burton is good, often the looks of songful agony on Burton weather lined face hit you straight in the heart, he clearly realizes age is upon him and wonders at his own motives in a romantic friendship with a impressionable girl. Particulay the scene in the park, where St. Clair (Burton) tells the story of William Blake, is excellent and allegorical.

O'Neal was probably at her best here, not too far removed from her Oscar-winning performance in "Paper Moon". She certainly plays another "say-it-straight" Kid here. And she does it well.

The score for the film is quite good and really lasts with you. Sort of like "Endless Love" There is a scene of violence in the film and some tasteful nudity, still I think this is fine for mature teens and adults. If you only know Circle of Two by its unkind reviews, check it out. It's worth your time and effort to see something different.

Although the movie itself could have been a bit better in design the message was so very clear. This was a love story between two people old and young. true love is ageless and timeless if it is true. An old almost waisted painter finds new spirit and life again when he meets a very very young girl who believed in him and he soon begins to paint once more. She brought life and light back into his world in doing so she falls in love with the person who gave her kindness, tenderness and treated her with respect and honor. I am very glad that the director did not allow and physical relationship between the two in the movie although the feelings between them were there.

Granted I am a romantic and i loved this movie from the first time I had seen it.