A Summer's Tale

A Summer's Tale
Conte d'été
Directed by Éric Rohmer
Produced by Françoise Etchegaray
Margaret Ménégoz
Written by Éric Rohmer
Starring Melvil Poupaud
Music by Philippe Eidel
Sébastien Erms
Cinematography Diane Baratier
Editing by Mary Stephen
Distributed by NFM Distributie
Artificial Eye
Mongrel Media
Release date(s) June 5, 1996 (1996-06-05)
Running time 113 minutes
Country France
Language French

A Summer's Tale (French: Conte d'été) is a 1996 French romance film directed by Éric Rohmer. It is the third film in his Contes des quatre saisons (Tales of the Four Seasons) series, which includes Conte de printemps (1990), Conte d'été, Conte d'automne (1998), and Conte d'hiver (1992). Conte d'été stars Melvil Poupaud, Amanda Langlet, Aurélia Nolin, and Gwenaëlle Simon.

The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.[1]

Contents

Plot

Gaspard, the main character, arrives on holiday in a small Breton seaside resort. He awaits his girlfriend, Lena, who does not arrive. Only a short while after this, he crosses paths with the waitress Margot, and they develop a strong friendship; Gaspard also has a fling with Solène, Margot's adventure-seeking friend. Lena eventually does turn up, and by this time, Gaspard has become attached to all three women.

Gaspard (Melvil Poupaud) is a young mathematician/musician vacationing by the seaside in Brittany, France before starting a new job. The film covers roughly three weeks in his life and introduces us to the trio of women he encounters during that time. First is Margot (Amanda Langlet), a cheerful waitress who enjoys spending time with Gaspard, but isn't interested in more than a friendship. Solene (Gwenaëlle Simon) is more affectionate and sensual - she's willing to have a relationship with Gaspard if he will commit to only her. Then there's Lena (Aurelia Nolin), Gaspard's longtime semi-girlfriend whose ambiguous romantic attitude towards him keeps him in a state of constant consternation. As the summer wears on, Gaspard finds himself increasingly torn between the three women, finding each the most appealing when he's with her, and recognizing that the day is fast approaching when he will have to choose. [1]

Cast

  • Melvil Poupaud - Gaspard
  • Amanda Langlet - Margot
  • Gwenaëlle Simon - Solene
  • Aurelia Nolin - Lena
  • Aimé Lefèvre - The Newfoundlander
  • Alain Guellaff - Uncle Alain
  • Evelyne Lahana - Aunt Maiwen
  • Yves Guérin - Accordionist
  • Franck Cabot - Cousin

References

  1. ^ "Festival de Cannes: A Summer's Tale". festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4709/year/1996.html. Retrieved 2009-09-19. 

2. A Film Review by James Berardinelli http://www.reelviews.net/movies/s/summers_tale.html

External links

v · d · eFilms by Éric Rohmer
1950s
1960s
The Bakery Girl of Monceau (1963) · Suzanne's Career (1963) · Paris vu par (segment "Place de l'Étoile") (1965) · La Collectionneuse (1967) · My Night at Maud's (1969)
1970s
Claire's Knee (1970) · Love in the Afternoon (1972) · L'enfance d'une ville (1975) · The Marquise of O (1976) · Perceval le Gallois (1978)
1980s
1990s
A Tale of Springtime (1990) · A Tale of Winter (1992) · L'Arbre, le maire et la médiathèque (1993) · Le trio en si bémol (1993) · Les Rendez-vous de Paris (1995) · A Summer's Tale (1996) · Autumn Tale (1998)
2000s
Shorts
Véronique et son cancre (1958) · The Bakery Girl of Monceau (1963) · Les métamorphoses du paysage : l'ère industrielle (1964) · Les cabinets de physique : la vie de société au 18e siècle (1964) · Les caractères de La Bruyère (1965) · Les histoires extraordinaires d'Edgar Poe (1965) · Entretien sur Pascal (1965) · Victor Hugo architecte (1969)
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