Alicia
I love this movie so much
Unlimitedia
Sick Product of a Sick System
Frances Chung
Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable
Jools
I don't understand the excessive rating of 7.3/10, I probably missed out something major. I guess the very bad acting and the poor and dull, non "natural" dialogues (french is my mother tongue and I have never heard anyone speak like the characters) made a very bad impression on me since the first minutes.The plot is plain simple, trying to find a new husband for a friend is a fair move but there is no twist or anything. It just takes 1h50 of plenty of useless shots to get to the happy end.Bad, very bad experience for me, I don't really feel like watching other films from E Rohmer.
Dennis Littrell
(Note: Over 500 of my movie reviews are now available in my book "Cut to the Chaise Lounge or I Can't Believe I Swallowed the Remote!" Get it at Amazon.)And he knows how to write dialogue that is revealing, engaging and realistic, no small feat; and it is perhaps this talent more than anything else that has made Eric Rohmer the great director that he is. Here uses France's Cotes du Rhone wine country as a backdrop and symbol to help him explore not only autumn love, but the enduring friendship of two very different women. Isabelle (Maire Revière) is an elegant, tall, fair haired, blue-eyed haute bourgeoisie and her friend Magali (Beatrice Romand) is a short, earthy, dark-haired petite winemaker originally from Tunisia. Isabelle is happily married; Magali is divorced. They are both forty-something.Isabelle's daughter is to be married. But the focus of the film is not on the bride and groom, but on the older generation, on Isabelle and Magali. In this way Rohmer combines the warm and enchantment of the celebration of autumn life, when the grapes are ripe for harvest, when love has its last chance, when Dionysus has his festival, when the heat of summer is over and we are ready to reflect and realize what is really important before it's too late.Isabelle feels this strongly and wants her friend to find happiness before another winter comes. But Magali, because of the vineyard, doesn't have much of an opportunity to meet men, although she allows that she would like to. She is at that delicate age when one can try again or shrug it off. Isabelle intervenes by going to a dating service and placing an ad. She meets Gerald (Alain Libolt) and they have lunch (she insists on lunch) two or three times and she evaluates him. He is modest, somewhat suave and amazingly diplomatic. They share a certain attraction.Meanwhile, Rosine (Alexia Portal) who is dating Magali's son and who is very close to Magali, perhaps more so that she is to her son, also wants to find a mate for Magali. She proposes her philosophy professor, Etienne (Didier Sandre), who is in fact sweet on her. He is the kind of man who, as Magali observes, likes them younger as he grows older. But maybe she will be the exception. Maybe he will finally grow up. Both arrange for their choices to meet Magali at the wedding.As usual Rohmer explores humanity and how we relate to one another, and finds both love and a kind of sweetness that is liable to bring us to tears.The resolution of the film is followed by a most endearing anticlimax in which there is a dance of joy.
stephenksmith
"Autumn Tale" is a friendly, rambling french film. Beautiful visuals. And, as always, the french have a realistic, sanguine approach to female and male beauty, where the women of the film are not hollywood-ized, but their natural beauty is enhanced by the french countryside's autumanl splendor. One middle aged woman plays matchmaker for her friend, but does not tell her she's placed an ad in the personals. Someone else plays matchmaker, and then threads of story lines appear and vanish like possible lovers come and gone. Rhomer is not a natural storyteller, but this film is not terribly amibitious or weighty, but a golden, good-natured romp through french womens' psychees and sweet taut clothing. The female leads are compelling and edible, again, because the french love to present beauty through the lens of reality and possibilty. Tasteful lust. Realistic. Wild, dionescian hair on the earthmother, tilted uterus'd owner of the winery. Tres elegante is her friend living a bit vicariously through her man-hunt. Fun film but don't expect a great story here. But, oooo la la, what curves and sex have the women of middle-aged france.
Ruby Liang (ruby_fff)
If you're not an Eric Rohmer fan, then it just might be too casually French and talkative. It actually reminded me of Rohmer's 1981 "Le Beau Mariage" (A Good Marriage) which also has Beatrice Romand, and Marie Riviere who was in 1986 " Le Rayon vert" (The Green Ray, aka Summer). Here they are paired up, 12 years hence, in 1998 "Conte d'automne" - it's almost like Rohmer waited for them to mature into 40 something to make this film. Rohmer is 79 and what a veteran at telling stories about (mostly young) women of the hearts. This time it is vintage, literally so about Beatrice's character Magali, who owns a vineyard, and her enduring friendship with Marie's character Isabelle, with Rohmer's long-standing subject of relationships, seeking marriage companion, and matters of the heart. Isabelle and Magali both are married now with grown-up children, in fact in the beginning, we see Isabelle, her husband, her daughter and son-in-law to be discussing about wedding invitees. We follow Isabelle, leading us to Magali's vineyard and meeting Magali, and a young woman named Rosine (portrayed by Alexia Portal) who's supposed to be Magali's son's current girlfriend. Yes, Rohmer simply cannot not have his favorite 20 something young woman characters out of the picture - it actually plays an important supporting role in this Autumn Tale.For a change, Isabelle and Magali are the focus of this Rohmer tale, but the subject is still about woman and man relationships, the dance of chance and mischance, the fluttered, confused matters of the heart. Here, Rohmer has added 'spice' to his story, there is actually alluring, intriguing twists and turns of affair, and Marie Riviere as Isabelle is simply wonderful to watch, as she engineered a match for her best friend, Magali. Beatrice Romand's facial expression is reminiscent of her role in "Le Beau Mariage", it's like going back in time to see how Magali might have been when she was younger, before her marriage in "Autumn Tale". Same for Isabelle, when I rerun "The Green Ray", I noticed the disposition that Marie Riviere displayed then is still observed in "Autumn Tale" - it's like tracing her 20 something period and what she's like then. You can say Rohmer's tales have soap opera ingredients in them, but they are always truly French and definitely lots of dialog, full of philosophies of life and relationships, of the pursuit of love and companionship. The men characters are never neglected - they are equally and subtly complex in their supporting roles. Etienne, Rosine's professor, and Gerard, Magali's potential match arranged by Isabelle, are both well portrayed by Didier Sandre and Alain Libolt respectively. They seemed so comfortable in their roles even in uncomfortable situations. Chance and fate are strong elements in Rohmer's tales, and they are in high dosage here. This may not be for everyone (NFE), but surely a delight for Eric Rohmer fans, or whoever likes a dose of French cinema, and perhaps cable viewers of Romance Classics, AMC (American Movie Classics) or BRAVO. Rohmer at 79, vraiment formidable!I do recommend "The Green Ray" if you haven't seen it, and if you find Beatrice Romand's character fascinating, try viewing "Le Beau Mariage".
