Yes, I’m learning French at the moment…
So the story here seems to be quite simple (and presented by having people chatting at each other endlessly (which I like)): There’s a very “modern” mayor in this small village, and he wants to build a huge library in the village (because he’s got a vision of people leaving cities and working in the countryside when that becomes practical). But there’s a tree they may have to cut down…
That’s the tree.
Is that the same guy as in the previous movie?
I was fascinated by this movie at the start — but I’m getting pretty annoyed by all these scenes of people sitting like this and discussing er philosophy and stuff. It worked better when they were walking around outside in the pretty countryside.
And now we’re going even further into faux reportage land — we’re following this journalist who talks to the villagers about the proposed library and life in the countryside in general… It’s… just not that interesting?
OK, this guy was interesting — talking about how farming had changed and how cows that are allowed to run free in the fields are more healthy.
I’m guessing these are real interviews, sort of? I mean, she’s an actor playing a journalist, but I’m guessing that the people she’s interviewing are real people talking unscripted. (Well, most of them.)
OK, this guy is definitely an actor.
Her balloon!? I mean, I don’t know French, but ballon means ball, doesn’t it?
Yes, indeed! Man, I’ve been doing Duolingo for three months and I’m already more fluent than whoever did this translation! *gasp*
This scene is pure genius. And so funny.
I use similar glasses for drinking wine — those are Duralex Picardie, but I use the Duralex Provence ones.
This is the final movie in the Rohmer box set (which was sponsored by Agnès B).
It’s a very pretty box set, and the transfers of the movies are very well done. Or perhaps I should say “main features” — there’s so many extras on each disk — several hours of shorts, documentaries and things Rohmer did for TV, I think.
I say “I think” because I haven’t seen any of it, because… THEY ONLY PUT ENGLISH SUBTITLES ON THE MAIN oops caps lock features. Which just seems kinda perverse. I mean, it’s nice that they did do that, but it means that there’s a lot of stuff here that won’t be accessible to non-French speakers.
But! Like I said, I’m apprendring French, so perhaps I can revisit the box set in a couple of years and watch the extras…
Anyway! This movie… it’s a bit frustrating? There are scenes here that I think are absolutely wonderful, funny and amazing, and there were parts of this movie I almost gnawed my foot off out of sheer boredom. So:
L’arbre, le maire et la médiathèque. Éric Rohmer. 1993. ⚃
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