Rohmer Summer has fed into Rohmer Fall: following sold-out screenings of The Green Ray and a shorts program, my screening series Amnesiascope has partnered again with Instagram auteur Rohmer Fits for two special screenings of Éric Rohmer’s 1998 triumph A Tale of Autumn, which will play Sunday, October 13 and Tuesday, October 22 at the Brooklyn Center for Theatre Research.
Though perhaps the crowning achievement in Rohmer’s Tale of Four Seasons, A Tale of Autumn still seems underappreciated and underseen. A brisk fall evening in close quarters suggests the ideal time to discover or revisit the film––for my money his best take on both the romantic comedy and Shakespearian case of mistaken identity. (One can also enjoy a cocktail during the film and smoke cigarettes after, conditions the man would’ve undoubtedly appreciated.) Our thanks to Janus Films for facilitating these screenings.
Official synopsis is below and tickets are here. We look forward to seeing you.
The concluding installment of the “Tales of the Four Seasons” tetralogy is a breezy take on the classic American romantic comedies that influenced Rohmer and his New Wave peers. Set in the Rhône Valley and taking full advantage of its golden vineyards, A Tale of Autumn concerns simultaneous schemes to find a new love for reserved winegrower and widow Magali (Beatrice Romand). While Magali’s son’s girlfriend (Alexia Portal) attempts to pair her with a former professor and lover (Didier Sandre), Magali’s friend Isabelle (Marie Rivière) assumes a false identity in order to bait eligible bachelor Gérald (Alain Libolt). The misunderstandings that follow are pure Rohmer in revealing the humor of human folly and foible.