Steineded How sad is this?

Odelecol Pretty good movie overall. First half was nothing special but it got better as it went along.

Josephina Great story, amazing characters, superb action, enthralling cinematography. Yes, this is something I am glad I spent money on.

Janis One of the most extraordinary films you will see this year. Take that as you want.

morrison-dylan-fan Disappointingly finding the Blu-Ray to be faulty, (which due to a lack of receipt means I can't replace it or sell the set on!) I was relieved to discover that the DVD version of this entry in Rohmer's loose film series played fine,which led to me getting ready to go on a summer holiday.The plot:Hit by a breakup just before her summer holiday, Delphine decides to join a friend on a beach house weekend.Almost from the moment she takes her first steps in the beach house, Delphine finds her pal trying to get her to confirm to her idea of what a good holiday is. Running off (talk about giving someone a chance!) Delphine isolates herself in search of the perfect holiday.View on the film:Skipping into the season with Delphine,co-writer/(along with lead actress Marie Rivière) director Éric Rohmer & cinematographer Sophie Maintigneux cast a warm,floral atmosphere,where water colour blue, greens and yellows sway in the fine breeze.Shot with just a crew of 4 people and the cast improvising the dialogue from Rohmer's outline,Rohmer's restrains himself from showing any sign of rebellion in the limited set-up,by spanning the title with frozen wide shots.Along with cutting the free-flowing nature on offer away,leads to the film being rather dry. Threaded with improvised dialogue from the cast, Marie Rivière offers a shimmering image of isolation as Delphine,that is left to sadly fade by the dialogue having a sawn- off, stilted quality which blocks a full view of the sun and Delphine from being cast across the screen.

Claudio Carvalho In Paris, fifteen days before her summer vacation, the lonely secretary Delphine (Marie Rivière) receives a call from her friend Caroline telling her that she would not travel with her to Scotland. Delphine does not want to travel alone and has difficulties to have relationship with unknown people, and she decides to travel to Cherbourg with a friend. A couple of days later, she is bored and decides to return to Paris. Then she calls a friend in La Plagne, but she returns on the same day to her place in Saint German. While walking on the streets of Paris, she meets an old friend that offers her house in Biarritz. Once there, a young stranger flirts with Delphine, invites her to go to Bayonne and they spend the afternoon together and watch the sunset until its last green ray.I have had another huge disappointment with the director Eric Rohmer after watching "Le Rayon Vert". I found this movie an overrated, boring and dull tale of loneliness with an annoying lead character. It is very easy to understand the solitude of the unpleasant Delphine and I recommend to see this movie on DVD, since the viewer will be able to use the rewind (when he or she takes an involuntary nap) or the fast forward button in case of unbearable boredom. In my case I was forced to rewind the movie three or four times. My vote is three.Title (Brazil): "O Raio Verde" ("The Green Ray")

Howard Schumann We have been conditioned as a culture to believe that happiness lies in an ideal, future state. For example, we think it will all turn out when we finish school, when we get a job, when we get married, when we have children, then when we get divorced, or when we retire. It is always something or someplace more, better, or different but the more things change, the more they seem to remain the same. In Summer, aka The Green Ray, one of Eric Rohmer's most insightful and charming films, Delphine (Marie Riviere) is a young, intelligent, and good-looking Parisian secretary who has spent her life looking for "Mr Right". Like many who spend their life "searching", she is a perfectionist who keeps people away by maintaining impossible standards, then feels inadequate and unloved when things do not work out. She is interesting rather than interested.When vacation time comes, her girlfriend goes to Greece with a boyfriend and she is left alone and feeling rejected. Turning down an offer to visit Ireland with her sister's family, she decides to take a trip to Cherbourg with a friend and her boyfriend, and does her best to fit in but it only leads to more frustration. After her friends prepare an elaborate dinner she tells them that she doesn't meat, seafood, or eggs and prefers vegetables like lettuce because they make her feel "light". She won't go sailing because it makes her seasick and she refuses a gift of apple blossoms because she thinks it's wrong to tear such large branches from trees. Rohmer impeccably captures Delphine's intense loneliness, a feeling of isolation that is even more pronounced when the people around you are doing what they think will make you happy. Near tears, she returns to Paris after only a few days in Cherbourg, then visits the Alps thinking she will go mountain climbing but she stays only one day.When Delphine borrows a friend's apartment in Biarritz, however, she does settle down long enough to unpack. In Biarritz, the story is pretty much the same, however. Delphine says that she wants to meet people but when the opportunity arises in the form of two young men and Lena (Carita), a young Swedish blond, she runs the other way, although from all indications, leaving seems to be the most sensible option. Lena advises her to play cat and mouse with men. "It's like a card game", she says, "you can't reveal your hand right off". Delphine uses this piece of advice as another reason for beating herself up. "My hand is empty", she declares.Delphine doesn't seem to believe in much, but, like many lonely people, she looks for signs that things are going to turn out all right. She is fascinated with playing cards and when she finds a green card lying in the street, she knows that green is her color of destiny for this year. While strolling the beach at Biarritz she overhears a conversation about a Jules Verne novel about an atmospheric phenomenon known as the Green Ray and she is mesmerized. According to Verne, just before the sun sets below the horizon, if you can see a burst of green light, it will help allow you gain an insight into your true self.A synopsis of the plot, however, tells us little about what actually goes on in this mostly improvised film. Like most Rohmer works, what happens in the silences is more revealing than in the conversations. An entire world is written in the gestures, the facial expressions, and the nuances that reveal each character's personality. Summer is an intimate story of a woman's loneliness that rings true and brought back a flood of painful memories for me. Delphine, for all her warts, is very human. Somewhere up ahead always looks better than right here. When she can open herself up to the perfection of the moment, however, she becomes directly present to the world and can share its ineffable beauty.

LeRoyMarko Somehow depressing movie about Delphine's emotions. Pure Rohmer in how the movie deals with sentiments. Nothing is really happening here, but at the same time, a lot is at work. Characters discover what's inside them, what governs their feelings. Not the best Rohmer, but still interesting. Marie Rivière is very good as Delphine.Out of 100, I gave it 74. That's good for **½ out of ****.Seen at home, in Toronto, on February 8th, 2004.