REVISITING CLASSICS: 4

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This week we review the classic Eric Rohmer; Pauline at the beach (Pauline à la plage). The lockdown was a catalyst to subscribe to the streaming platform Mubi and it has opened up a completely different world to me. There is a problem of plenty on Mubi and there is so much quality content to view that it at times becomes difficult to choose. 

However, I decided to choose Eric Rohmer and his cinema which was featured as a series of films and I decided to soak in with the classic Pauline at the beach. Rohmer along with Godard, Truffaut, Chabrol and Rivette are known as icons of New Wave French cinema. Rohmer's work has three distinct phases to his repertoire and Pauline at the beach is from his Comedies and Proverbs phase. It will be interesting to note that Rohmer and several of his contemporary were themselves film critics and were extremely well read and educated directors. Hence, the kind of work they produced between the 50's and the 60's were distinct and carried a lot of message which was deeply ingrained in the simplistic portrayal of the characters. 

Pauline at the beach is a gem from amongst that period of work of Rohmer. The film opens to a car halting in front of beach house and we see Pauline (Amanda Langlet) getting down from the car and opening the gates to let the car enter the house. The scene is so well sculpted that it brings forth a certain sense of languid pace of the movie pictured so well in the opening scene. It took almost 3 minutes for one to see the frame where the casting features along with the lead characters coming in at the end of it. What is amazing in the scene is the visual poetry of the same. The scene gives you an indication of things to come in the next in the next 90 minutes or so.

Amazingly created in the north western coast of France, the film works brilliantly to me at three levels. First, he (Rohmer) helps you peek into relationships at different levels and age groups. Second, the context of beach and the balmy environment brings in a sense of sultriness' in relationship and finally, at the end of it all works to a closure where the leads decide to close the chapter with the closing of the gates which they had opened to enter when the film opens. The metaphorical sense of the gate perhaps makes sense at the end of it. There are no remorse, guilt and even heartbreaks at any time of the narration. It is about exploring the subterfuge and the relationships. Perhaps, in the first few minutes of the film, the four main characters coming together for an evening after meal conversation. This forms the edifice of the film and why the film scores so well. It is brilliant with simplistic lines yet helps audience get into the minds of the characters and understand relationships. Four characters, one a teenager (Pauline) getting to know the world of relationships, then Pauline's elder cousin (Marion) who has traversed her share of relations and has seen ups and downs, the next in line is Marion's ex Pierre who had had a relation with her and is looking to get back to her and finally, the last in the quartet is Henri with whom Marion can't help falling into a relationship. Each have their definition of  relationship and the next 90 minutes takes that path. 

Beautifully captured at a languid pace which makes Pauline at the beach so pleasurable to watch. Each character is given adequate time to develop and alongside the four there are two other characters of Sylvain and Louisette who are pivots here. The time that it takes to create the moment and the sultriness of the sea and the characters almost leaning onto each other makes way for a seductive fare. But Rohmer is cautious in his screenplay to leave moments open for audience to decipher. The closing scene where both Pauline and Marion both decide to believe in somethings and to forget somethings that their respective relationships taught perhaps sums up what Rohmer's little gem wants to convey. Relationships are like sieve. Take the best of it and leave the rest of it. 

Pauline at the beach is on online streaming platform Mubi. Go watch.          

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