Summary
Jeanne is a high school philosophy teacher who decides that she cannot bear to stay in
her fiancé’s untidy flat whilst he is away from home. Unfortunately, she
has already loaned her own flat to a friend. At a party she meets a young girl,
Natacha, who offers to let her stay in her flat. She loans Jeanne the room belonging
to her father, who is usually away, living with his girlfriend, Eve, of whom Natacha does
not approve. Although at first grateful for the offer of accommodation, Jeanne soon
begins to suspect that Natasha is trying to pair her up with her father...
Review
Conte de printemps is the first instalment in Eric Rohmer’s four-part cycle entitled
Contes des quatre saisons (The Four Seasons Tales). All four films
involve a romantic theme played against a particular season of the year, the season reflecting
the nature of the subject.
The style of the film is uniquely Rohmer: an intimate examination of the interaction between
a small number of people, with feelings and ideas expressed though some excellent dialogue.
By using inexperienced actors, Rohmer achieves an engaging feeling of spontaneity which
heightens the believability of the situations into which he places his characters.
The result is compelling cinema which, because it feels so real, strikes an immediate
chord with the viewer.
A major theme for Conte de printemps is how negative thoughts, such as jealousy
or suspicion, can poison human relationships and result in conflict. Natacha is
on the surface a very pleasant middle-class adolescent, but she sees the worst in her
father’s girlfriend because she believes she stole her necklace. Similarly, when
she finds herself alone with Natacha’s father, Jeanne immediately suspects that is the
victim of some blatant matchmaking. Natacha’s father reaches the same conclusion
but he is more willing to exploit the situation. The way in which these negative
thoughts change the characters' outlook and moderate their behaviour, in such subtle,
unpredictable ways, is what makes this film so compelling. It is rare in cinema
that such human responses are conveyed in such an engaging way and believable way.
Although not quite as satisfying as some of the later films in the Four Seasons cycle,
this is a pleasing film which certainly encourages you to watch the other films.
© James Travers 2001
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