I must say at the outset, i have only recently become acquainted with the films of Claude Sautet. My introduction to this director came through his 1972 film 'César et Rosalie'. I enjoyed the film but wouldn't call it exceptional. After having now watched 'Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud' and this film, i will certainly go back and make a reassessment.
'Un coeur en hiver' is, however, nothing short of a masterpiece -- a showcase for acting talent and directorial mastery. Something that immediately struck me while watching this film was the *compactness* of the performances. This film has not one ounce of fat in it. Never is a gaze held for longer than it should be -- never a word of unnecessary dialogue spoken -- it doesn't run a minute longer than it should.
I have seen both leads in many films now. I thought Emmanuelle Béart was wonderful in her other collaboration with Sautet 'Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud' and her star shines even brighter here. Both films deal with the same subject matter -- falling for the wrong man and unrequited love. The jury is still out for me on Daniel Auteuil. I've seen many of his performances (and perhaps that's the problem) and i've never found him totally convincing. Not so here however -- Sautet reigns him in and extracts a wonderfully nuanced performance.
But the real star here is Emmanuelle Béart. Her portrayal of Camille, a violinist virtuoso, is stunning and utterly convincing. One can only imagine the painstaking preparation she underwent for this role (yes, she did take violin lessons prior to commencing this project). A role, incidentally, not dissimilar to Lori Singer's cellist in Robert Altman's 'Short Cuts'. The beautiful physicality of the performance is what draws you in. Whether you love or loath classical music is largely irrelevant here -- it's the passion and commitment in the delivery that counts and Béart is magnetic.
Claude Sautet won the trophy for best director in France's 1993 César awards for this. We can only lament he made so few films and the fact that very few are available on DVD.
A must see for those who love intelligent film making from a director with complete mastery over the medium....
zzzz..
'Un coeur en hiver' is, however, nothing short of a masterpiece -- a showcase for acting talent and directorial mastery. Something that immediately struck me while watching this film was the *compactness* of the performances. This film has not one ounce of fat in it. Never is a gaze held for longer than it should be -- never a word of unnecessary dialogue spoken -- it doesn't run a minute longer than it should.
I have seen both leads in many films now. I thought Emmanuelle Béart was wonderful in her other collaboration with Sautet 'Nelly & Monsieur Arnaud' and her star shines even brighter here. Both films deal with the same subject matter -- falling for the wrong man and unrequited love. The jury is still out for me on Daniel Auteuil. I've seen many of his performances (and perhaps that's the problem) and i've never found him totally convincing. Not so here however -- Sautet reigns him in and extracts a wonderfully nuanced performance.
But the real star here is Emmanuelle Béart. Her portrayal of Camille, a violinist virtuoso, is stunning and utterly convincing. One can only imagine the painstaking preparation she underwent for this role (yes, she did take violin lessons prior to commencing this project). A role, incidentally, not dissimilar to Lori Singer's cellist in Robert Altman's 'Short Cuts'. The beautiful physicality of the performance is what draws you in. Whether you love or loath classical music is largely irrelevant here -- it's the passion and commitment in the delivery that counts and Béart is magnetic.
Claude Sautet won the trophy for best director in France's 1993 César awards for this. We can only lament he made so few films and the fact that very few are available on DVD.
A must see for those who love intelligent film making from a director with complete mastery over the medium....
zzzz..