Hottoceame The Age of Commercialism

SoTrumpBelieve Must See Movie...

XoWizIama Excellent adaptation.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

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.

colinbellUK I already liked this film a lot having owned it on DVD as part of a great value Rohmer box set. However when the opportunity came up to see it at the cinema today I couldn't pass it up. This film and others by the same director have influenced other films which I like a lot (e.g. Before Sunrise/ Before Sunset) in that there is little action but lots of conversation, some interesting, some banal. I identified strongly with the quiet introvert lead character Delphine, who was misunderstood by her friends and given all sorts of advice on finding a partner which wouldn't be suitable for her at all. The performance by Marie Riviere was wonderful and she contributed to the dialogue too (she has a credit shared). Lots of times she had subtle facial expressions going on which spoke volumes and it made me wish I spoke French as when I kept looking to the subtitles I knew in the time I was reading them I was missing some of those. Even the silences (or just bouts of tears) spoke volumes. I won't reveal too much of the plot except to say it has a hopeful feeling towards the end and the whole thing appealed very much to the romantic in me.

kenjha A single woman in Paris looks to salvage her summer vacation after her original plans are disrupted. Is she shy or depressed or just picky when it comes to men? The answer is not necessarily revealed but it is a pleasant journey as we get to know her and accompany her on scenic excursions in France. Riviere, who co-wrote the script with Rohmer, is quite good as the woman whose boyfriend seems to have left her and who feels like her life is falling apart, but is also unsure what she wants out of life. She is not a particularly sympathetic character but she does seem real. Instead of revealing any big truths, Rohmer is mostly interested in the little things that reveal character.

CelineetJulie The Green Ray is certainly a strange fish - quite simply it's about a single girl's (almost)wasted summer, going on holiday 3 times, and each time finding herself bored and frustrated, and ultimately an outsider. We see scene after scene of holiday makers having a good time, and poor Delphine just not feeling at ease. She is somewhat opinionated, for example in the vegetarian lecture - we've all had to sit through one of those, and liable to burst into self-pitying tears, but Delphine never the less gets my respect for her refusal to opt for second best.Very few directors would be brave enough to make a film like this, but Rohmer pulls it off magnificently, and in the process delivers one of his finest movies. I can see why some viewers might find it a waste of time, but having been on a couple of solo holidays in the past I can sympathise with Delphine's predicament. Plus The Green Ray rewards the patient with a truly poetic finale.