The Tales of the Four Seasons by Eric Romer
Studio: The Criterion Collection
February 26, 2024
Web Exclusive
What does an era represent? Change? Continuity? In Stories of the four seasons– a masterful series of films from the 1990s by the brilliant French auteur Éric Rohmer – is a combination of both. The four films, each separated by two years, use each season as a springboard for a simple yet profound exploration of relationships we own with the people around us. Released near the end of Rohmer's 90-year life, Stories of the four seasons represents some of the director's best work, thematically and stylistically, highlighting the very things that make his films and screenplays some of the best in French cinema.
Like Rohmer's other two series (Six moral stories and Comedies and Proverbs), every movie in Stories of the four seasons it is connected to the others solely through narrative settings and broader thematic overhangs, rather than through characters and internal content. Therefore, movies can be viewed in any sequence. The Criterion Collection box set orders the films in their release order.
A story of spring is the weakest entry in the series (which is a testament to how great the series is), it represents many of the ideas echoed in all four films, but uses a slower pace and less compelling characters to do so. The film follows two women – Jeanne (Anne Teyssèdre) and Natasha (Florence Darel) – who meet at a party and become instantly inseparable. As their friendship blossoms, Natasha secretly tries to set Jean up with her father, hoping to turn him away from his tendencies to date younger women. The basic intrigue of the plot keeps the film constantly entertaining, as does the film's oscillation between Natasha's grand apartment in Paris and her cozy country house. But the film's simultaneous simplicity and particularity often prevent it from making a greater impact, especially considering the sometimes repetitive qualities of the characters.
A winter's tale it is bleaker than the other three films, but full of hope. The film opens with a brilliant montage (some of Rohmer's best visual work) of Félicie (Charlotte Véry) and Charles (Frédéric van den Driessche) spending a magical, romantic summer together. When they part ways for the season, Félicie accidentally gives Charles the wrong address. Five years later: Felicity is raising her and Charles' child while holding out hope that she will eventually be reunited with him. Setting the story in winter, a time filled with natural darkness and hopes that things will lighten up, is extremely clever and perfectly syncs with the film's intrigue. Felicity and Charles' relationship seems developed enough – even with a five-minute, dialogue-free montage – to make all of Felicity's decisions and actions believable (to some extent).
A summer story is much airier and lighter than the first two films, a strong reflection of the season that drives its story. The film chronicles a love square between Gaspard (Melvil Poupaud), a young musician on holiday in Normandy in the summer, two women he meets by chance in the seaside town (Amanda Langlet, Gwenaëlle Simon) and the woman waiting to arrive (Aurélia Nolin ). The characters in the film are arguably the most interesting in the series, each with completely different personalities and desires that change the way they interact with others. The film also evokes the feel of its titular season in a way that no other film in the series does, using the beautiful backdrop of sunlit Normandy to immerse viewers in both Gaspard's summer floods and the summer itself .
An autumn story is one of Rohmer's pure masterpieces. The central narrative follows a widowed winemaker Magali (Béatrice Romand), whose shy personality often prevents her from finding a new partner or focusing on anything other than harvesting grapes. Things quickly change when two people close to her – her longtime friend (Marie Rivière) and her son's girlfriend (Alexia Portal) – both secretly try to match her with suitable suitors, using different methods to do so. The film culminates in an excellent wedding scene, where the clever dialogues and fast pace make the experience even more joyful. The central character being a middle-aged widow is an unusual, but refreshing, change for a Rohmer film – as the director usually centers his stories around younger characters and their interactions.
Regardless of the individual—however minor—changes in the structure and plot of each film, the series can easily be seen as a thematic whole. Like most of Rohmer's films, the series is about the complexity of love, refracted through simple stories and characters defined by their desire for connection, reconciliation, or a mixture of the two. In this respect – especially when we watch the films so close to each other – the stories not only begin to merge, but begin to complement each other. It becomes difficult to separate his motives A Tale of Summer's four main participants in love square from the two newly formed best friends A story of spring. This effect is one of the most exciting parts of the series. By making the stories and characters so relatable, Rohmer successfully taps into the depth of everyday experiences and desires. It's hard not to walk out of the series with a smile on your face, recognizing that no matter who we are and when we live, we're all searching for the same things, searching for the endless possibilities of what could be or could be. Times may change, but we remain the same.
The Criterion Collection's 2K restorations look fantastic, bringing to life the colors of each era, as well as the juxtaposition between urban and rural scenes, in a rich and vibrant way. While the physical version doesn't include as many extra features as some of the company's other, larger boxes, there's more than enough to keep you interested. Highlights include: new interviews with different members of the films' crews, a documentary covering the making of A summer story, and two of Rohmer's earlier short films. Regardless, for Rohmer fans, French cinema fanatics, or people who crave small-scale stories of big human connection, Stories of the four seasons worth a watch and a purpose.
(www.criterion.com/boxsets/7154-eric-rohmers-tales-of-the-four-seasons)
from our partners at http://www.undertheradarmag.com/reviews/eric_rohmers_tales_of_the_four_seasons