Customer Reviews

Chloe in the Afternoon [VHS]

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

First of all, I want to stress that there is siginifcant disjunction here between the excellence of Rohmer's film, and the dismal quality of the DVD. Thus, my criticism is not addressed to the film itself, but to the lackluster transfer by Fox Lorber. I can second the comment of the reviewer below, that the film itself deserves five stars, whereas the video and audio quality of this DVD are no better than a VHS tape (in fact, this would be very low quality for a VHS for that matter). Moreover, as with their Godard and Truffaut issues, Fox Lorber has marked only 6 chapter headings on this DVD. Now how hard is it to bookmark a chapter? Of course, I suppose that would actually require taking some interest in the film itself, and perhaps even watching it a couple of times, so as to gadge the appropriate moments to bookmark. Thus, this DVD does not even have the advantage of convenient chapter options. It is a shame that a company who owns the rights to so many great films repeatedly releases such poorly engineered DVDs. There are, of course, exceptions (more recent titles, many of the Truffaut issues, or Godard's "Vivre Sa Vie," for example). Nonetheless, I have come to expect from Fox Lorber below average video and audio quality, along with few special features, if any (even the director and actor videographies are often incomplete). Even though I own many DVDs from Fox Lorber, inspite of their mediocre quality, this is one issue that I cannot recommend. I first rented this film on DVD, but elected to purchase it on VHS, instead. This is my favorite Rohmer film, with "Claire's Knee" following a close second, and I would recommend it to anyone interested in international cinema. However, do not waste your money on this DVD edition.

Veteran French actor Bernard Verley stars as Frederic who is the kind of man who loves women with a great passion, but finds that he can direct all that love physically into one woman. Chloe is a woman, cynical about men, confident of her power of seduction, a woman who never wants to marry. They were friends and now they meet again. He is married, a successful businessman. She is single, living from day to day. What will happen? Will she entice him away from his wife? Will he find the French happiness with a wife and a mistress?

The title, while good, is misleading, as is the sexy cover on this video. (The French title, L'amour l'apres-midi, is better; but that title in English was taken by Love in the Afternoon (1957) starring Gary Cooper and Audrey Hepburn.) This is about as sexy as a Disney movie (although there is some backside nudity), yet it is an intriguing story about love, human sexuality and the question of monogamy. I can already see some of the other reviews: "Too talky." "Endless talk and no action." Ah, but they are wrong. This is a fascinating film in which the action is subtle and true and very interesting.

Francoise Verley plays Frederic's wife. She is not nearly as pretty as he thinks she is. Nor is she as removed from his life away from her as he naively believes. Eric Rohmer's subtle direction makes it clear that she knows more than she will ever tell him, that she loves him and perhaps prays that he still loves her. But she is above saying a single word. One gets the sense that she knows he is a man so attractive to other women that it is inevitable that he will stray. But does he? The final scene in which we know why she is crying--although ironically, he does not--is just beautifully done and ends the movie at exactly the right moment.

Zouzou plays Chloe who is Parisian, bohemian and quietly desperate. As usual with Rohmer there is a kind of realism in the movie that defies description. The people and the scenes and the events are real; there is no straining for effect, and everything is understated with a characteristic Rohmerian message about human nature.

This starts slow and never really speeds up, but do yourself a favor and stay with it. The denouement is beautifully turned and the revelation of the three principal characters is as clear and clean and agreeable as Chloe after her shower.

Like all of the Fox/Lorber releases of Eric Rohmer's "Six Moral Tales" film series, I'd give this film 5 stars for content, especially if you enjoy writer/director Eric Rohmer's subtle, deliberatly paced, conversational style. His films crawl into your consciousness slowly and before you know it you're hooked. Unfortunatly I'd give the DVD transfer 1 star as it looks and sounds no better than Fox/Lorber's currently available VHS version and there are no extras to speak of except for incomplete director and star filmography listings. The film is not presented in its original aspect ratio and the French subtitles are burned into the print and so are not removable from the screen. Final rating: 3 stars END

The last of Eric Rohmer's "Six Moral Tales" and among the best. As in the others, the plot revolves around a married man who has convinced himself, through his own rationalized thinking, that he is happy and content with his life - yet is on the brink of having an affair, which at the last moment refuses he to go through with. There's lots of talk, as in all Rohmer movies, but it's always interesting.

It's fascinating to see this man (Bernard Verley) go through the agonies of his conscience vs. his feelings. And Chloe (Zouzou) is equally fascinating as the sexy seductress. Verley's contradictions, usually of fairly minor concern (for example, at the beginning of the movie he thinks to himself how much he loves the solitude of his afternoons, and then at the end he tells his wife he hates them), always come as a disconcerting shock - and are perfectly timed. Rohmer pays very close attention to the little details which in retrospect add up to quite a bit. An excellent movie.

An interesting take on infidelity. Rohmer's style is subtle and sparse, and his characters take first priority. The protagonist is a happily married man who still fantasizes about every pretty girl he sees while walking on the streets of Paris. A friend he hasn't seen for a while and wasn't particularly close to before, Chloe, drifts back into his life and thoughts, slowly but surely. Her affections for him seem to grow as they begin to spend generally platonic afternoons together, while at the same time his beautiful wife, who he truly adores, has their first child. The new father then continues his friendship with the young Chloe, and he ultimately must make the decision whether to cross that line with her.

Although there are two women to the one man in this story, as in the other Rohmer films I've seen, this film is about the Man, and His Choice. The Male protagonist speaks to us in the voice over, it is His Story. His thoughts, His dreams, His fantasies, and His choice.

One complaint, if it can be called that, is that the wife's character leaves less of a trace than Chloe. One would like to know why the protagonist makes the decision he must make in the end, and be able to compare the two women he shares his days with somehow. The main difference between his wife and Chloe seems to be that his wife is more submissive and less playful, almost melancholy in a way (but not necessarily unhappy). And fragile as a bird. As would be expected, she represents stability, continuity, home. Chloe on the other hand is a bohemian drifter type who appears and disappears just as easily. She represents, also as to be expected, freedom, spontaneity, possibility. But they are still, in some sense, fragments. Especially the wife. We do see her joy in motherhood and domesticity, but it's only in one dimension.

Rohmer's films are like a giant puzzle with One Proper Couple being formed as all the pieces come together. He is fascinated with the beginning/early stages of relationships, and the choices that are made at that point. Serving as a sort of match-maker for his characters, he foresees one suitable mate for his Protagonist, and Only One. And though these films are watchable and interesting, sometimes he leaves the information/emotional landscape which underlie the Protagonist's decision undefined and shadowy. We are left then, in the end, to only guess as to the reasons of the Protagonist's depth of feeling, and how he can be sure that his decision is the Right one. These men don't look back.

This one's in color (unlike the first few films in the Moral Tales series). The films in this series end somewhat abruptly, and as the FIN burns on the screen, you may find yourself with some questions. In this way, these films are good conversation-starters.

Eric Rohmer's series of Six Moral Tales is best represented by Chloe in the Afternoon, IMO. Filmed in 1972, the movie is dated now, populated by women in ultra-miniskirts, guys in tight suits with flared jackets, weird hair...you get the picture. But the focus is timeless: sophisticated bourgeois married couple with children nearly ripped asunder by threatened infidelity. Chloe is the bohemian outsider, a seductress with an agenda, and Frederic is her intended victim. The ending is sort of a shocker, a little over the top, but otherwise, wow, it's a corker.

"Chloe in the Afternoon" (= "L'amour l'apres-midi", 1972) is the last of Eric Rohmer's "Six moral tales". It is not a long film, but it manages to deal with issues such as love, monogamy, infidelity, and the impact that small decisions can have on couples.

The main character is Frederic (Bernard Verley), a typical bourgeois immersed in his routine, married with one child, and with a wife that is expecting another son. Everything seems perfect, even though somehow monotonous, until the reappearance in his life of an old acquaintance, Chloe (Zouzou). That event suddenly tempts Frederic to be unfaithful to his wife Helene (Francoise Verley), something he merely thought about previously.

Chloe is everything Frederic and Helene are not: spontaneous, volatile and bohemian. That is probably the reason why she seems to attract and repel Frederic at the same time. Chloe, who starts to meet Frederic in the afternoons, is a woman on a mission: she wants to have a child with blue eyes, like Frederic, and has decided that her former friend will be a perfect absent father. So, both Frederic and Chloe seem inclined to have an affair, albeit for different reasons... But will that happen?

All in all, I think that "Chloe in the Afternoon" is a movie you might enjoy. It is slow, but has some interesting dialogues, and it is the kind of film that gives food for thought. This is far from being my favourite Rohmer film, but I don't regret watching it, and I consider that it deserves at least 3.5/5 stars. Recommended!

Belen Alcat

The final installment in Rohmer's "Six Moral Tales" series, "Afternoon" is a wonderfully acted, deeply thoughtful meditation on the idea of marital infidelity. Frederic and his alluring afternoon companion voice every possible perspective on this ubiquitous temptation, enlightening us as to whether it is a desirable choice or not, and keeping us in prolonged suspense over what will happen between the two of them. Rohmer's understated, emotionally intelligent handling of this platonic affair makes for a thoroughly compelling "Afternoon."

Chloe in the Afternoon is an Eric Rohmer film. If you've seen any other Rohmer film, you have an idea of his style. One thing that distinguishes Chloe from the others is that photographer, Suze Randall, plays an au pair who likes to walk around nude while at home. She's photographed many women nude, but this is the only film where I've ever seen her nude. Also nude in this film are Françoise Verley, who plays the hero's wife, and Zouzou, who plays Chloe about whom the hero fantasizes (among many other women) during their afternoon lunch breaks. The hero is played by Bernard Verley, but I don't know his relationship with Françoise--real husband/wife?

Yes, this 1972 classic does deal with big issues between men and women, but must it be so boring? The characters spend the film seemingly going in and out of office and apartment and coffee shop doors. That passes for the action. The rest is dialogue. Paris looks dismal, and the suburbs especially so. The two women, the wife and the would-be mistress, are still attractive by today's standards. One wonders what the plotting Chloe really sees in the dull hubby after all. There is no soundtrack. There is little at all to distract from the script. Very French, I suppose.