morrison-dylan-fan
Expecting to find all the extras in the DVD box set to be placed in the final,I was surprised to find a bonus DVD inside the case for the 4th title in Éric Rohmer's loose series,which led to me looking up at the moon in Paris.The plot:While happy with her boyfriend Remi,Louise is unable to brush away a desire to have her own personal space.Moving away to her own flat in Paris,Louise makes a deal with Remi,that they will only break up if either of them falls in love with someone else.Moving away from Remi,Louise soon discovers that this deal will have to be faced earlier than she expected.View on the film:Spending most of the movie in flats, (with the odd breakout of dancing at parties in the outside world) writer/director Éric Rohmer and cinematographer Renato Berta sterilise Louise's rooms,which are breached out in saturated whites and dour blacks.Leaving Louise on her own,Rohmer boils up a minimalist atmosphere that cuts any music from the soundtrack and leaves Louise's hollow footsteps as the lone sound. Spanning a number of months,the screenplay by Rohmer captures Louise's belief of everything remaining still,whilst she takes her own sidetracks.Whilst this does catch some of Louise "in the moment" thinking,it also leads to an emotional depth between Louise and Remi never fully being explored. For his major auteur focus on the bourgeoisie,Rohmer gives Louise's relationships a bitter after taste,but disappointingly keeps the focus on the incredibly dry surface of Louise's life,as a full moon appears in Paris.
LeRoyMarko
I enjoy this film very much. Rohmer as a way to describe feelings, to describe how those feelings can get all twisted sometimes. Love and the numerous questions it brings is well put to light. Books, smart funny talks and more... Pascale Ogier is superb. As for Fabrice Luchini, he's one of my favorite actor. He performs so well in this kind of role. And the name "Octave" fits him like a glove!Out of 100, I gave it 81. That's good for *** out of ****.Seen at home, in Toronto, on January 14, 2003.
Gerry-12
Maybe I've OD'd on Rohmer, just having looked at this film, "My Girlfriend's Boyfriend" and "The Aviator's Wife" (all on DVD)in a single week. This has the silly addition to Rohmer's other obsessions, of the idea that the full moon causes unusual behavior. Actually the girl behaves just the way the protagonists of the other films do when the phase of the moon is unspecified, that is, very indecisive. The main male character is nicer than the one in most of Rohmer's films.
Céline
"Les Nuits de la Pleine Lune" is by far one of the best movies I have seen. Rohmer manages to capture the full complexity of a relationship that is on the rocks. Fabrice Lucini as Octave is very believable, even during his pensive rants in front of the camera for an extended period of time. Pascale Ogier as Louise gives a very good performance, showing us how a woman like Louise acts when caught in the middle of trying to decide between two men and resisting another. She is sometimes seducing, sometimes a devoted girlfriend, and sometimes just acts like she wants to run away from it all. Tchéky Karyo is perfect in his ability to show Remi's awkwardness in social situations. Overall, an excellent movie. --Céline. Contact me at Niancul@aol.com
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