MovieChat Forums > Conte d'été (2014) Discussion > The period in which this film was set

The period in which this film was set

posted 10 years ago by nsnces
7 replies | jump to latest

Some of us here in the USA are getting our first chance to see this film, because for some reason it didn't get a distribution deal in this country when it was first released. Obviously this story could not unfold in the same way today, when most people in the developed world have mobile devices and such. However, there were some details that seemed dated, even for the mid-1990s, when the film was made. For instance, by that time phones with rotary dials were almost totally obsolete, at least here in the USA. Were they still used in France, or at least in that part of Brittany, then?

More generally, I wonder whether Rohmer was mentally stuck in a somewhat earlier period. P.G. Wodehouse kept cranking out stories that were set between the world wars up until his death in 1975. I get the feeling that even though Rohmer, unlike Wodehouse, set his stories in contemporary settings, he populated them with characters who seemed to be from an earlier era (the 70s, perhaps?). Do other people sense this, too?

[–] ciscoguy 10 years ago

I'm with you on this... However, it felt more like the early 80's to me than the 70's. I was actually surprised that it was filmed/released in 1996. And the pair of blue jeans Solene wore is something else :) Funny how most things in life are all relative and subjective...

[–] steve19150 10 years ago

I wouldn't be surprised if it was filmed around 1989 right before Tale of Springtime and not released until 1996. If you look at the overall style it is much different than Autumn Tale that was released in 1998. Edit: I stand corrected. There was a poster in the background when Gaspard was on the phone towards the end. It was the band Oasis and the cover of their album "Definitely Maybe" that came out in 1994.

[–] bringbackberniew 9 years ago

Have you been to coastal Bretagne? I have not but I know a woman who grew up near these towns. She now lives in the US. In 2004, we had a long talk about the area. From that talk, I am not surprised by what I saw. Heck, I spent time in the Medoc & Bordeaux in 2005. It was not as I, an American, had imagined.

So, I think you shouldquestion whether you are mentally stuck geographically rather than questioning whether he is mentally stuck temporally.

[–] nsnces 9 years ago

I've reread what I wrote, and I fail to see where I ever claimed to have traveled anywhere in France. That may make me *physically* stuck geographically, but I never claimed otherwise. That is why I asked the question, to which I expected, and would have been grateful for, simple responses without ad hominem remarks.

Further, my question about where Rohmer may or may not have been mentally stuck temporally referred specifically to the characters he created. Has your Breton friend seen many of Rohmer's films? If not, then her observations are certainly interesting, but not really relevant to what I was getting at. Still, I'm glad you got to know her, because she sounds interesting.

[–] Jeromagnus 9 years ago

Fashion seemed correct for France at the time ('90). As for the telephones, there was still phones like that around. As their secondary or vacation houses or with young people with no money like Garspard's friend, it seems understandable they did not want to put too much money in a new phone when their older ones are still working.

[–] sillyhat 9 years ago

Obviously this story could not unfold in the same way today, when most people in the developed world have mobile devices and such.

I was thinking about this as well. How could you tell this kind of story now? I suppose you could have Lena's phone break down but that's a little too easy. I was thinking, maybe, you could have her repeatedly tell him she's coming, only to have something else happen to delay it, and have this cause him eventually become skeptical that she'll ever come see him.

[–] Petaine 9 years ago

I think the film fits well in the 90s and that's one of the many reasons I love it so much.

As for the phone with the rotary dial, I completely agree with what Jeromagnus said; the house was someone's beach house, not his main house, so it is very reasonable to not have modern equipment there. In my beach house I still have one of those fat TVs and a playstation 2! ☺

Fashion-wise, again I find it very true to the mid-90s. Some apparel, like Margot's red bikini and Solene's mom jeans sure do seem dated but then again even early 00s fashion seems like that these days.