A womanizing art dealer and a painter find the serenity of their Riviera vacation disturbed by a third guest, a vivacious bohemian woman known for her long list of male conquests.
This film is somewhat notorious for its limited budget. In his autobiography, Nestor Almendros admits, "The film had to have a 'natural' look, whether we wanted it to or not, because we had only five photoflood lamps." They used so little film that, "In the laboratories they thought they were the rushes of a short (film)." Or as James Monaco tells it, "The only expenses that summer were for film stock and rent for the house in Saint-Tropez, which was the set and which also housed cast and crew. There was also a small budget line for the salary of the cook, who, the stories go, cooked nothing but minestrone during the entire shooting schedule." And then there is the matter of not having any big names in the cast. Phillip Lopate says Rohmer "likes nonprofessionals for the fact that they seem quieter and less apt to project Personality, with a capital P." He also contrasts Rohmer with Bresson in this regard. Indeed, there is something to be said about using amateurs, especially when the biggest actors ultimately become distracting.
In 2012, Roger Ebert added the film to his "Great Movies" list. Many others have praised this film for a variety of reasons. While it is, indeed, a good film, it is really not my type of movie and thus I cannot fully endorse it. But perhaps it is something for you.
This film is somewhat notorious for its limited budget. In his autobiography, Nestor Almendros admits, "The film had to have a 'natural' look, whether we wanted it to or not, because we had only five photoflood lamps." They used so little film that, "In the laboratories they thought they were the rushes of a short (film)." Or as James Monaco tells it, "The only expenses that summer were for film stock and rent for the house in Saint-Tropez, which was the set and which also housed cast and crew. There was also a small budget line for the salary of the cook, who, the stories go, cooked nothing but minestrone during the entire shooting schedule." And then there is the matter of not having any big names in the cast. Phillip Lopate says Rohmer "likes nonprofessionals for the fact that they seem quieter and less apt to project Personality, with a capital P." He also contrasts Rohmer with Bresson in this regard. Indeed, there is something to be said about using amateurs, especially when the biggest actors ultimately become distracting.
In 2012, Roger Ebert added the film to his "Great Movies" list. Many others have praised this film for a variety of reasons. While it is, indeed, a good film, it is really not my type of movie and thus I cannot fully endorse it. But perhaps it is something for you.