Chloe in the Afternoon

Rating:
Summary: The Choices That We (Men) Make Define Us (Them)
Review: An interesting take on infidelity. Rohmer's style is subtle and sparse, and his characters take first priority. The protagonist is a happily married man who still fantasizes about every pretty girl he sees while walking on the streets of Paris. A friend he hasn't seen for a while and wasn't particularly close to before, Chloe, drifts back into his life and thoughts, slowly but surely. Her affections for him seem to grow as they begin to spend generally platonic afternoons together, while at the same time his beautiful wife, who he truly adores, has their first child. The new father then continues his friendship with the young Chloe, and he ultimately must make the decision whether to cross that line with her.

Although there are two women to the one man in this story, as in the other Rohmer films I've seen, this film is about the Man, and His Choice. The Male protagonist speaks to us in the voice over, it is His Story. His thoughts, His dreams, His fantasies, and His choice.

One complaint, if it can be called that, is that the wife's character leaves less of a trace than Chloe. One would like to know why the protagonist makes the decision he must make in the end, and be able to compare the two women he shares his days with somehow. The main difference between his wife and Chloe seems to be that his wife is more submissive and less playful, almost melancholy in a way (but not necessarily unhappy). And fragile as a bird. As would be expected, she represents stability, continuity, home. Chloe on the other hand is a bohemian drifter type who appears and disappears just as easily. She represents, also as to be expected, freedom, spontaneity, possibility. But they are still, in some sense, fragments. Especially the wife. We do see her joy in motherhood and domesticity, but it's only in one dimension.

Rohmer's films are like a giant puzzle with One Proper Couple being formed as all the pieces come together. He is fascinated with the beginning/early stages of relationships, and the choices that are made at that point. Serving as a sort of match-maker for his characters, he foresees one suitable mate for his Protagonist, and Only One. And though these films are watchable and interesting, sometimes he leaves the information/emotional landscape which underlie the Protagonist's decision undefined and shadowy. We are left then, in the end, to only guess as to the reasons of the Protagonist's depth of feeling, and how he can be sure that his decision is the Right one. These men don't look back.

This one's in color (unlike the first few films in the Moral Tales series). The films in this series end somewhat abruptly, and as the FIN burns on the screen, you may find yourself with some questions. In this way, these films are good conversation-starters.

Rating:
Summary: Really, really interesting
Review: Eric Rohmer's series of Six Moral Tales is best represented by Chloe in the Afternoon, IMO. Filmed in 1972, the movie is dated now, populated by women in ultra-miniskirts, guys in tight suits with flared jackets, weird hair...you get the picture. But the focus is timeless: sophisticated bourgeois married couple with children nearly ripped asunder by threatened infidelity. Chloe is the bohemian outsider, a seductress with an agenda, and Frederic is her intended victim. The ending is sort of a shocker, a little over the top, but otherwise, wow, it's a corker.

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece! However, if you must own it, buy the VHS.
Review: First of all, I want to stress that there is siginifcant disjunction here between the excellence of Rohmer's film, and the dismal quality of the DVD. Thus, my criticism is not addressed to the film itself, but to the lackluster transfer by Fox Lorber. I can second the comment of the reviewer below, that the film itself deserves five stars, whereas the video and audio quality of this DVD are no better than a VHS tape (in fact, this would be very low quality for a VHS for that matter). Moreover, as with their Godard and Truffaut issues, Fox Lorber has marked only 6 chapter headings on this DVD. Now how hard is it to bookmark a chapter? Of course, I suppose that would actually require taking some interest in the film itself, and perhaps even watching it a couple of times, so as to gadge the appropriate moments to bookmark. Thus, this DVD does not even have the advantage of convenient chapter options. It is a shame that a company who owns the rights to so many great films repeatedly releases such poorly engineered DVDs. There are, of course, exceptions (more recent titles, many of the Truffaut issues, or Godard's "Vivre Sa Vie," for example). Nonetheless, I have come to expect from Fox Lorber below average video and audio quality, along with few special features, if any (even the director and actor videographies are often incomplete). Even though I own many DVDs from Fox Lorber, inspite of their mediocre quality, this is one issue that I cannot recommend. I first rented this film on DVD, but elected to purchase it on VHS, instead. This is my favorite Rohmer film, with "Claire's Knee" following a close second, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in international cinema. However, do not waste your money on this DVD edition.

Rating:
Summary: DEVIL IN A BLUE JEAN
Review: Hélène, Frédéric's young and lovely wife, is the whole day long at home with her child. Frédéric, a successful businessman, likes to work during lunch hours and to walk in the streets of Paris in the afternoon in order to admire the beautiful lonely girls. He reads Captain Cook's travel books and daydreams a lot. He lives the "bourgeois" life by excellence.

Then come Chloe and Temptation. In fact, why not enjoy life and do like everybody else ? A wife for the saturday nights and a girlfriend for the rest of the week ! And Chloe is so fragile, she just wants a child from him. Is Frédéric going to fall ? Watch CHLOE IN THE AFTERNOON, the last of Eric Rohmer's moral tales, and try not to succumb to the disguises of the devil.

Like in the Holy Bible, the Devil can have different faces : in Frédéric's vision, Lucifer is hidden behind the faces of the women appearing in the two precedent Rohmer's movies : MY NIGHT AT MAUD'S and CLAIRE'S KNEE. Superb idea !

In CHLOE IN THE AFTERNOON, Rohmer's actors sound more professional than in the french director's other movies. But it's just an impression because if you take a look at the filmography of most of these actors, you scarcely will find other movie credits. It surely takes a while to get rid of the impression that these actors don't play well ; they are amateurs (at least, I think so !) playing according to Eric Rohmer's notion of Reality. His Reality.

As always, sound and audio are of VHS quality. No more. No extra-feature except a scene access (Is it a bonus feature, anyway ?).

A DVD dedicated to Bill.

Rating:
Summary: Chloe in the Afternoon
Review: The lackluster direction of Rohmer doesn't match the intensity of the themes involved. It's like he's trying to imply a movie instead of making one. Everything looks frayed, but it goes deeper than mere understatement: nobody in the movie has a spine and it's as if they're being held upward by strings. The movie has such a soft mushy feel to it that the erotic scenes don't feel erotic. It's like he's trying to take away all the fun, but wants to tease us at the same time. And that's okay in itself -- Bergman's Persona is the ultimate tease -- but here you're not sure who is in control, and the experience just becomes tedious.

Rating:
Summary: Chloe in the Afternoon
Review: The lackluster direction of Rohmer doesn't match the intensity of the themes involved. It's like he's trying to imply a movie instead of making one. Everything looks frayed, but it goes deeper than mere understatement: nobody in the movie has a spine and it's as if they're being held upward by strings. The movie has such a soft mushy feel to it that the erotic scenes don't feel erotic. It's like he's trying to take away all the fun, but wants to tease us at the same time. And that's okay in itself -- Bergman's Persona is the ultimate tease -- but here you're not sure who is in control, and the experience just becomes tedious.

Rating:
Summary: A masterpiece! However, if you must own it, buy the VHS.
Review: Veteran French actor Bernard Verley stars as Frederic who is the kind of man who loves women with a great passion, but finds that he can direct all that love physically into one woman. Chloe is a woman, cynical about men, confident of her power of seduction, a woman who never wants to marry. They were friends and now they meet again. He is married, a successful businessman. She is single, living from day to day. What will happen? Will she entice him away from his wife? Will he find the French happiness with a wife and a mistress?

The title, while good, is misleading, as is the sexy cover on this video. (The French title, L'amour l'apres-midi, is better; but that title in English was taken by Love in the Afternoon (1957) starring Gary Cooper and Audrey Hepburn.) This is about as sexy as a Disney movie (although there is some backside nudity), yet it is an intriguing story about love, human sexuality and the question of monogamy. I can already see some of the other reviews: "Too talky." "Endless talk and no action." Ah, but they are wrong. This is a fascinating film in which the action is subtle and true and very interesting.

Francoise Verley plays Frederic's wife. She is not nearly as pretty as he thinks she is. Nor is she as removed from his life away from her as he naively believes. Eric Rohmer's subtle direction makes it clear that she knows more than she will ever tell him, that she loves him and perhaps prays that he still loves her. But she is above saying a single word. One gets the sense that she knows he is a man so attractive to other women that it is inevitable that he will stray. But does he? The final scene in which we know why she is crying--although ironically, he does not--is just beautifully done and ends the movie at exactly the right moment.

Zouzou plays Chloe who is Parisian, bohemian and quietly desperate. As usual with Rohmer there is a kind of realism in the movie that defies description. The people and the scenes and the events are real; there is no straining for effect, and everything is understated with a characteristic Rohmerian message about human nature.

This starts slow and never really speeds up, but do yourself a favor and stay with it. The denouement is beautifully turned and the revelation of the three principal characters is as clear and clean and agreeable as Chloe after her shower.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing story about love and monogamy
Review: Veteran French actor Bernard Verley stars as Frederic who is the kind of man who loves women with a great passion, but finds that he can direct all that love physically into one woman. Chloe is a woman, cynical about men, confident of her power of seduction, a woman who never wants to marry. They were friends and now they meet again. He is married, a successful businessman. She is single, living from day to day. What will happen? Will she entice him away from his wife? Will he find the French happiness with a wife and a mistress?

The title, while good, is misleading, as is the sexy cover on this video. (The French title, L'amour l'apres-midi, is better; but that title in English was taken by Love in the Afternoon (1957) starring Gary Cooper and Audrey Hepburn.) This is about as sexy as a Disney movie (although there is some backside nudity), yet it is an intriguing story about love, human sexuality and the question of monogamy. I can already see some of the other reviews: "Too talky." "Endless talk and no action." Ah, but they are wrong. This is a fascinating film in which the action is subtle and true and very interesting.

Francoise Verley plays Frederic's wife. She is not nearly as pretty as he thinks she is. Nor is she as removed from his life away from her as he naively believes. Eric Rohmer's subtle direction makes it clear that she knows more than she will ever tell him, that she loves him and perhaps prays that he still loves her. But she is above saying a single word. One gets the sense that she knows he is a man so attractive to other women that it is inevitable that he will stray. But does he? The final scene in which we know why she is crying--although ironically, he does not--is just beautifully done and ends the movie at exactly the right moment.

Zouzou plays Chloe who is Parisian, bohemian and quietly desperate. As usual with Rohmer there is a kind of realism in the movie that defies description. The people and the scenes and the events are real; there is no straining for effect, and everything is understated with a characteristic Rohmerian message about human nature.

This starts slow and never really speeds up, but do yourself a favor and stay with it. The denouement is beautifully turned and the revelation of the three principal characters is as clear and clean and agreeable as Chloe after her shower.