THE FOURTH MORAL TALE
Added 11/19/2009
Like the other moral tales by Rohmer "Ma nuit chez Maud" deals with human relationships, love and sex, but is a little bit more serious than the other moral tales. The protagonist hopes to find a candidate to become his wife. He accidentally meets Maud and they spend the night together dicussing religion, love and sex. Next morning he meets a girl who he will marry. Rohmer sees life as series of opportunities waiting for catching and happiness which may be waiting round the corner, but you can't hesitate, because it can vanish while you are waiting too long.
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For those who like this sort of thing...
Added 4/4/2009
...this is the sort of thing that we love.
A movie about those odd conversations we have when we dance around desire, not sure whether to give in or get out. Nuanced to the nth degree, taking its script from situations we all probably recognize, it's a meditative film, ultimately, that offers us a view into ourselves and our desires.
But it's a quiet film (not a single car blows up in its whole duration!) so it might not be a good choice for a plurality of American viewers.
That's not meant as faint praise, not at all. I just mean to say that this is a beautiful film to look at (and the Fox Lorber DVD does it good justice) but, thinky as it is, it maintains a low key throughout that might make certain viewers nervous. Those who are ready for a cerebral film chock full of small insights will love it, though. A product of an era in which the idea of personal "comprehension" was interesting and entertaining, "My Night at Maud's" is something of a landmark, one that should be better known.
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Rohmer's Wager
Added 10/18/2008
Jean-Louis Trintignant stars as Jean-Louis, a stern Catholic who has wandered the world before settling into a new job at Michelin in the Clermont area of France. For various reasons, Jean-Louis has never married, and at 34 years he finds himself lonely in this new place. He chances to meet an old school friend, Vital (Antoine Vitez). They have drinks and go to a bookstore and chat, primarily about religion and philosophy. When Vital proposes that they meet up with a newly divorced friend of his, Jean-Louis balks but eventually agrees. Enter the sexy pediatrician Maud. She attempts to seduce Jean-Louis, who is no naïve virgin, but such an interlude may not be within Jean-Louis' personal moral code. Will they end up together or will Jean-Louis find the nice Catholic girl of his dreams?
"My Night at Maud's" (1969) is the third in the series of director Eric Rohmer's Six Moral Tales, following two short films ("The Collector" was actually made and released third in the series, but is generally placed fourth). For various reasons, I'm just now getting around to viewing Rohmer's films even though I am a fan of many of the French Wave directors. To me, Rohmer's films seemed from afar to be less flashy and experimental than the work of Godard or Truffaut. I've missed out on some great work, such as "My Night at Maud's." His direction and scripting here is impeccable; the film manages to be grounded in stark realism (everything the actors do is perfectly in character) and talky yet somehow glamorous and lighter than air.
Some audiences will be put off by this movie, with its frequent long conversations involving religion and philosophy, focusing on Pascal's Wager. However, I found that I didn't need to understand the minutiae of these topics (I have read a bit of Pascal years ago), as these conversations exist primarily to show us the characters' moral codes - their sense of what they can and cannot do. As such, the movie succeeds brilliantly, demonstrating the gray areas of our moral codes that we all encounter. It's a rare movie that I can walk away from feeling as though I learned something new, yet still assured that I probably only understand 1/4 of it. Most highly recommended.
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The Logic of Love
Added 11/6/2007
I was a bit unprepared for what I saw in "My Night at Maud's" (I had anticipated a more festive movie under the mistaken pretense that "Maud's" was a night club). I admit to easing into the extended philosophical discussion of love and similar relationships. I also found myself enjoying the subtle and not so subtle hypocracy of the participants. However, this is a comedy in the Shakepearean mode; i.e you may be amused but it's unlikely you'll laugh. Fair enough, I took it for the candid look at life, love and faith it presented. I believe that Eric Rohmer's theory is that we can profess to be as open and frank as possible but we still know what to keep to ourselves. It's a bit heavy in its' dialogue in case you're looking for some lighter entertainment. However, it's strength is it's dialogue so pay attention and enjoy it.
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Essential French cinema: Rohmer's 'Ma nuit chez Maud.'
Added 7/24/2007
Éric Rohmer (1920) challenged traditional Hollywood cinema with his French New Wave cycle of films, Six Moral Tales ("Contes moraux"). Inspired by F.W. Murnau's Sunrise, each "tale" follows the same basic story: a man is tempted a woman, but he ultimately resists the temptation.
My Night at Maud's (Ma nuit chez Maud) (1969)--the third tale in the series, but the fourth to be filmed, has been called "the centerpiece" of Rohmer's Moral Tales. Filmed in stark black and white, it follows deep philosophic conversations about love and religion between a pious Catholic engineer in his early thirties, Jean-Louis (Jean-Louis Trintignant), and a young brunette divorcée, Maud (Françoise Fabian)--a seductive freethinker who challenges Jean-Louis' rigid ethical standards. An Official Selection at the Cannes Film Festival, Rohmer achieved international recognition with this brilliant film.
G. Merritt
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THE FOURTH MORAL TALE
Added 11/19/2009
Like the other moral tales by Rohmer "Ma nuit chez Maud" deals with human relationships, love and sex, but is a little bit more serious than the other moral tales. The protagonist hopes to find a candidate to become his wife. He accidentally meets Maud and they spend the night together dicussing religion, love and sex. Next morning he meets a girl who he will marry. Rohmer sees life as series of opportunities waiting for catching and happiness which may be waiting round the corner, but you can't hesitate, because it can vanish while you are waiting too long.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
For those who like this sort of thing...
Added 4/4/2009
...this is the sort of thing that we love.
A movie about those odd conversations we have when we dance around desire, not sure whether to give in or get out. Nuanced to the nth degree, taking its script from situations we all probably recognize, it's a meditative film, ultimately, that offers us a view into ourselves and our desires.
But it's a quiet film (not a single car blows up in its whole duration!) so it might not be a good choice for a plurality of American viewers.
That's not meant as faint praise, not at all. I just mean to say that this is a beautiful film to look at (and the Fox Lorber DVD does it good justice) but, thinky as it is, it maintains a low key throughout that might make certain viewers nervous. Those who are ready for a cerebral film chock full of small insights will love it, though. A product of an era in which the idea of personal "comprehension" was interesting and entertaining, "My Night at Maud's" is something of a landmark, one that should be better known.
0 out of 0 people found this helpful.
|
Rohmer's Wager
Added 10/18/2008
Jean-Louis Trintignant stars as Jean-Louis, a stern Catholic who has wandered the world before settling into a new job at Michelin in the Clermont area of France. For various reasons, Jean-Louis has never married, and at 34 years he finds himself lonely in this new place. He chances to meet an old school friend, Vital (Antoine Vitez). They have drinks and go to a bookstore and chat, primarily about religion and philosophy. When Vital proposes that they meet up with a newly divorced friend of his, Jean-Louis balks but eventually agrees. Enter the sexy pediatrician Maud. She attempts to seduce Jean-Louis, who is no naïve virgin, but such an interlude may not be within Jean-Louis' personal moral code. Will they end up together or will Jean-Louis find the nice Catholic girl of his dreams?
"My Night at Maud's" (1969) is the third in the series of director Eric Rohmer's Six Moral Tales, following two short films ("The Collector" was actually made and released third in the series, but is generally placed fourth). For various reasons, I'm just now getting around to viewing Rohmer's films even though I am a fan of many of the French Wave directors. To me, Rohmer's films seemed from afar to be less flashy and experimental than the work of Godard or Truffaut. I've missed out on some great work, such as "My Night at Maud's." His direction and scripting here is impeccable; the film manages to be grounded in stark realism (everything the actors do is perfectly in character) and talky yet somehow glamorous and lighter than air.
Some audiences will be put off by this movie, with its frequent long conversations involving religion and philosophy, focusing on Pascal's Wager. However, I found that I didn't need to understand the minutiae of these topics (I have read a bit of Pascal years ago), as these conversations exist primarily to show us the characters' moral codes - their sense of what they can and cannot do. As such, the movie succeeds brilliantly, demonstrating the gray areas of our moral codes that we all encounter. It's a rare movie that I can walk away from feeling as though I learned something new, yet still assured that I probably only understand 1/4 of it. Most highly recommended.
1 out of 1 people found this helpful.
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