FREE ON ARTE Eric Rohmer - La Collectioneuse

A few leisurely summer days in a villa near Saint Tropez on the French Riviera. These days are supposed to pass leisurely. Two gentlemen of the best age would like to spend them with good conversations and thought games - without women. But something sensual is in the air and the film seems to drift aimlessly into these spheres. La Collectionneuse is Rohmer's third film from the cycle of Moral Stories. The first feature-length film from the series and the first in colour. Basically, La Collectionneuse represents the starting point of his entire later career (after the early phase under the sign of the Nouvelle Vague). Rohmer was older than his colleagues, and at the age of 40 even older than his two protagonists. Nevertheless, he succeeds in portraying the sluggishness and narcissism of youth in a dreamlike way. All of his moral stories deal with the intricate patterns of romance and love. He hardly showed any sex, Rohmer much prefers to film the conversations about it. His actors are indisputably attractive! Rohmer's camera caresses them as they talk and talk and sometimes flatters each other. The collector (she collects men) is called Haydee (Haydee Politoff). The gentlemen Adrien and Daniel (Patrick Bauchau, Daniel Pommereuve) are at least ten years older than the collector. The two of them watch Haydee during her arrival with a few boys - and stress that they have no interest at all in sleeping with her! Both are not led by fate (unlike in many Hollywood movies), but are able to reflect on her actions. Incidentally, there is no such thing as unchanging morality. So let's look at the trio. Daniel is the most uninteresting. He smokes and drinks a lot, wears kaftans on the beach and wants to sleep with the collector sooner or later. Haydee is about twenty, has a beautiful, slightly rounded face, full lips and a fashionable haircut. She looks very self-confident and there is always something mysterious around her. Adrien is described in dialogue as having the appearance of an eagle. A beautiful man, who already took part in earlier Nouvelle Vague movies of Rohmer. Adrien would really like to be all to himself and now arranges little games to get Daniel and the collector into bed. But what Haydee really wants - it's hard to guess... Every few years again, I watch La collectionneuse anew, because hardly any other film has such a peaceful effect on me. Rohmer isn't afraid at all to expect too much dialogue from us or the other way around, too little "action". He allows us to judge for ourselves. The object of desire that everything revolves around here - Rohmer manages to demonstrate it in such a way that every impulse of desire is included. I think it's his talent to watch the characters closely and think about them instead of just throwing them into the action. It's nice to see characters talking to each other (and not saying anything one after the other). In short: I love Rohmer! I've loved his work for 25 years now!