gradyharp Eric Rohmer (1920 – 2010) was a genius, a director who was able to make combustible films that leave traces on our minds like the romances in this particular film. A TALE OF WINTER is one of the four seasons quadrant of films that hold him in very high esteem among cinema buffs. Thanks to the efforts of Big World Pictures it is now available on DVD.Felicie (Charlotte Véry) and Charles (Frédéric van den Driessche) have a serious if whirlwind holiday romance. Due to a mix-up on addresses they lose contact, and five years later at Christmas-time Felicie is a hairdresser living with her mother in a cold Paris with a daughter (from Charles) as a reminder of that long-ago summer. For male companionship she oscillates between hairdresser Maxence (Michel Voletti) and the intellectual Loic (Hervé Furic), but seems unable to commit to either as the memory of Charles and what might have been hangs over everything. The plot centers on Félicie's shifting allegiances to the three men in her life, with an abortive move to another city, a strange experience in the cathedral of Nevers, and a performance of Shakespeare's 'The Winter's Tale' among the stations on a roundabout journey that finally brings her face to face with the most basic issues of destiny and faith.Rohmer gently guides us through the portals of love in all its forms and few can match his gifts. Making this film widely available is a true gift.

Jackson Booth-Millard This French film, also known by some as either A Tale of Winter, or Conte d'hiver, was featured in the book 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, but I didn't know anything about it prior to reading about it, from director Eric Rohmer (My Night with Maud). Basically while on holiday Félicie (Charlotte Véry) meets and falls in love with cook Charles (Frédéric Van Den Driessche), they have a whirlwind holiday romance, but then after some time they are forced to go their separate ways, but she gives him her address. Time has passed, five years, and due to a mix-up he is not able to find or contact her, and it is now Christmas time, with Félicie living with her mother in Paris, where the weather is cold, and she also has a child born from the summer with the man she met. Félicie still manages to find herself male company and companionship, but she cannot choose between the two men which she would commit with, either hairdresser Maxence (Michel Voletti) or intellectual librarian Loïc (Hervé Furic), because she still hold on to the memory of Charles and what may have been between them. In the end of course Félicie realises she cannot be truly happy with either of them, and fortunately fate brings Charles back into her life, they settle back with each other like before, they get married and open a restaurant together. Also starring Ava Loraschi as Elise. I admit the story is a little slow for my liking, I didn't fully get what was going on to be absolutely honest, but once I got the gist of what the plot was I found it relatively interesting, I'm not sure if I would agree it being a must see film, or worthy of four stars out of five by critics, perhaps I should watch it again, but it was an alright romantic drama. It was nominated the Oscars for Best Writing, Story and Screenplay Based on Factual Material or Material Not Previously Published or Produced and Best Foreign Language Film. Worth watching!

Slime-3 As he grew older it seemed veteran screen-writer and director Eric Rohmer grew a little more romantic and a little less cynical of life and love. His most famous work, the "Six Moral Tales" of the late 60s are expose's of human failings, pomposity and self obsession. Most of the characters are deeply flawed and many, though fascinating in their way, are distinctly hard to like or forgive. In the "Proverbs & Comedies" series of the 80s , the tales of life are a little softer, lighter, the characters more sympathetic and once the 1990's arrive and Rohmer's new "Four Seasons" series finds it feet, that trend has developed further. The FOUR SEASONS stories carry a little more plot and rely less on the fairly heavy philosophy and religious conviction one would have encountered in MY NIGHT AT MAUD'S for example. There is hope where there had been despair.CONTE D'HIVER is a bitter sweet tale of pretty young hairdresser Felicie and the aftermath of a brief passionate affair with the charming Charles. The result is that she bears his daughter but accidentally loses contact with him before he is aware of this. Life for Filicie is then a matter of putting up with a string of second-best lovers in the vain hope that Charles will somehow re- establish contact. The action flits between Paris and provincial Nevers and as always the people the dialogue and the direction are wonderfully natural. The cinematography and editing are spare and unobtrusive and the acting is superb. There is one sequence, a lengthy scene in which Felicie watches , and is moved by, a stage production of a Shakespeare play that drags on far to long but otherwise this films almost skips along compared to some of the directors previous works, where the pace is always very measured and very slow. In all, a delightful film with a good cast headed by the attractive Charlotte Very, one of several excellent young actresses Rohmer cast around this time (Amanda Langlet and Emanuelle Chaulet being the others that spring to mind). Recommended

Henry Fields Second chapter of Rohmer's Tales Of The Four Seasons (before filming Winter's Tale he made Spring's Tale). This time the french director tells us the story of Felice, a girl in the search of her soul mate. Actually she had found him in some holidays, his name was Charles, and she got pregnant, but at the end of that summer of joy and love she gave him a wrong address... so she never saw his love again and couldn't locate him either. Five years after she's living in Paris, at her mother's house, with her daughter and she's going out with two different men, although she's not in love with none of'em. She can't love anyone but Charles. Will she ever find the lost love of her life? Does she believe in miracles? That's something we'll find out as we watch this Rohmer's film.Gene Hackman said in some movie that "watching a Rohmer's movie is just like watching a plant grow". Obviously that'll be the opinion of most of the people (especially those who enjoy themselves watching Steven Seagal or Van Damme's movies); but there's something else in cinema (and in life) as well as kicks, guns, explosions, and parties. What about feelings, reflexions, love, doubts, philosophy? That's what Eric Rohmer seems to care about, and that's what he usually talks about in his movies. Ordinary people, living ordinary lives, with their ordinary problems, and their ordinary conflicts. In some way he's such a "voyeur": he puts his camera in some corner of the room and lets the characters express themselves. How they feel, what do they expect from life, what are their dreams, their fears... I think that's why he usually works with unknown actors and actresses: that way the audience feels like they're watching a completely unknown talking or crying, or laughing. I would not work the same if he picked Gerard Depardieu or Juliette Binoche for this sort of movies. Also he uses a literary language in the dialogues (dialogues, the base of Rohmer's cinematography), though his movies show ordinary situations the people in there definitely doesn't talk like normal people. Some may say that's a handicap, that people doesn't talk about existence and the meaning of life when they're having a coffee in some coffee-shop; but when I want to hear real-life dialogues with real-life sentences, rough language, and so I just go and watch some Tarantino movie. I wouldn't recommend Rohmer's movies to anyone; 'cause I assume that movies such as Winter's Tale may result boring for many people. So I only recommend this movie (and the rest of Tales of the Four Seasons) to those who look for something else in cinema and (again) in life apart from hollow entertainment.My Rate: 8/10