Les Nuits de la pleine lune (1984)

Louise (Pascale Ogier), a restless designer bored with sleepy suburban life outside of Paris, lives with her lover, Remy (Tcheky Karyo), a stable architect happy with a calm home life and a long-term relationship. The independent Louise decides to move back into her old Paris apartment during the week, losing herself in the bustle of dinner parties and nightclubs and single men, while spending her weekends back with Remy. Louise becomes briefly entangled with another man, a spontaneous musician who is the opposite of Remy, but in a neat twist on the formula, Remy himself drifts to another--at the suggestion of Louise herself. The fourth of Rohmer's Comedies and Proverbs is the most ironic and, in many ways, the most judgmental of his films. Willowy Ogier's kittenish sexuality and zest for life are wrapped in a self-absorbed determination that borders on indifference, but for the most part this is another wryly witty look at modern love from the master of the sophisticated romantic comedy. Fabrice Luchini plays Louise's best friend and conniving confidante, Octave, and Laszlo Szabo appears as a café patron who pontificates on the magical effects of the full moon. Ogier, who died shortly after the film's release, designed many of the handsome sets. Rohmer followed this with perhaps his most generous character study, the modestly magical romantic adventure Summer. --Sean Axmaker Amazon.com

Essential French cinema: Rohmer's 'Les Nuits de la pleine lune.'

Éric Rohmer (1920) first challenged traditional Hollywood cinema with his French New Wave cycle of films, "Six Moral Tales," which he completed in 1972 before commencing another six-film cycle, "Comedies and Proverbs," each based on a different proverb.

Based on the proverb, "he who has two women loses his soul, he who has two houses loses his mind," Full Moon In Paris (Les Nuits de la pleine lune) (1984) is the fourth in Rohmer's insightful "Comedies & Proverbs" film series. It tells the story of Louise (Pascale Ogier), a restless interior decorator bored with her suburban life outside of Paris, and her architect lover, Remi (Tcheky Karyo), who is content with their relationship just as it is in Marne-la-Vallée. Not ready to give up her single life, Louise rents an apartment in Paris, where she intends to fully enjoy the Parisian nightclub scene. After being seduced by another man, Louise realizes she loves Remi more than she thought. Meanwhile, Remi has met another woman. Rich in relationship dialogue, like many of Rohmer's films, Full Moon in Paris reveals how the course of love never did run smooth, particularly for his young Parisian characters. Hopefully Criterion will remaster Rohmer's "Comedies and Proverbs" series, and then offer it as a boxed collection similar its "Six Moral Tales" boxed set.

G. Merritt August 2, 2007

You must be joking!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed this with their eyes closed....I am French.I look forward to seeing movies from my homeland.....I have never been so embarrassed.

If not for the plot, the bad 80s hair and dancing, and the conclusion.Utter garbage.I paid $3.87, somebody owes me $3.86....

And the sad thing is, because of all those recommendations I bought another one which hasn't arrived yet.I am scared.

Quelle honte pour le cinema Francais!
Bad camera work, very bad acting, boring dialog....you name it!
I suggest other movies such as Le bossu, la fille sur le pont, lhomme du train, et le pere noel est une ordure1 September 20, 2004

Full Moon, Full Heart

I am so heartened to see this film getting solid reviews on Amazon, because it is truly a gem. It doesn't seem to be recognized as one of the canonical Rohmer films -- like "Pauline à la plage," "Le genou de Claire," "La femme de l'aviateur" -- but for his devotees, Rohmer's work is all of a piece. For those not sold on the Rohmer name alone, this is a twisty-turvy, drole, character- and dialog-driven French comedy-romance. Vincent Canby did write a glowing review that can be accessed from the New York Times online archives of film reviews. He likens Rohmer to the great miniaturists in art -- but there is in his movies a whiff, fresh and modern but quite discernable, of Fragonard and Boucher, those masters of lighthearted French romantic diversion.

The downsides are purely the packaging. As usual, Fox Lorber's editions are dreadful: lackluster prints, no widescreen, no options to leave subtitles off or have them in French, no special features.

But the beauty of the film itself makes all this of no consequence. In broad outline, this is a typical Rohmer tale of a pretty young woman and her willful, mildly wanton, and winsome path of self-determination -- her frustrations and foibles. Rohmer's preoccupations annoy some, but for me they are heartfelt, absorbing, and true. In fact, the truth lies in the very self-deception that he allows his characters to slip in and out of. For those who like the action in their films to be internal, for those who see action even in inaction, Rohmer's seemingly motion-less pictures can be full of excitement.

In this case, the heroine is less annoying than some of Rohmer's women -- not that his annoying ones aren't likable or make for unpleasant films, to be sure! Louise is played by the lovely Pascale Ogier. The intense Tcheky Karyo plays her solid, if stolid, boyfriend Remi. Louise is a somewhat birdlike creature in the French manner -- she enjoys nesting, creating and inhabiting her space (or spaces), but she is restless and wants to spread her wings. She is elegant but fragile-looking, and you can almost hear her little heart beating beneath her lissome frame draped in cowls and pullovers. Her restlessness may be "just a phase" -- the title (the French title, "Les nuits de la pleine lune" translates as "Nights of the Full Moon") even suggests as much. But if so, Rohmer never discounts or patronizes the vividness of what she is going through. Louise may be flighty, but her predicament -- self-inflicted though it may be -- is real. How she handles it may seem muddled, but it has its own authenticity, its own integrity. While watching the film, one doesn't feel a great investment in her fate -- not because you don't care, but because the journey itself is quite real, and engaging purely on its own terms: the film withholds any breath of judgment and you feel confident that it will wind up where it needs to.

As with many other Rohmer films in this series (notably the various summer locales of "Le rayon vert," "L'ami de mon amie" and "Pauline à la plage"), place is a significant player in the action. His sense of how environments affect people's lives and choices -- and even bring about decisive moments -- is one of the Rohmerian touches of truth. Louise's choice seems as much the choice of two places -- vibrant Paris (where she keeps a cozy pied-à-terre, and where even at her most befuddled she finds late-night consolation and philosophy from a fellow insomniac and artist at a diner) and the quiet satellite city (of which Remi is one of the designers), its remoteness accentuated by occasional shots of Louise at a distance, walking the long road from the train terminal.

One is struck with the balance, humor, and sexual fluidity of this movie. Remi the homebody isn't the only nester -- Louise's nesting just takes other forms. Remi indulges the occasional spate of immaturity just like Louise, and moments of self-dramatization. And Louise shows composure and certitude at key intervals. It's all within the bounds of the characters, as is the humor, which offers the tenderest touches of insight. More humor is embodied by Fabrice Luchini, playing Louise's best friend, Octave. He is as birdlike as she is, a self-absorbed writer gathering snippets of information and impressions to feather his literary nest. He is also forever putting the make on Louise, which she calmly and never coyly declines at every instance. It's obvious she is his friend out of affection and kindred spirits, not at all out of the ego-rush, and that's why at one moment she can push him away after another pass and in the next moment take his hand and head out the door to a party. It's this kind of wry, tender, non-judgmental nuance that you seldom see in the relationships between men and women in American movies.

Give this movie a watch, you'll find yourself smiling -- whether indulgently, knowingly, or sympathetically! August 26, 2004

Beware of Distraction . . .

One short point to add to the many excellent reviews of this movie, if you watch the early scene "Camille's Party" very carefully, ignoring the distraction of the conflict between Remi and Louise that brackets other key meetings, you may increase your enjoyment of this subtle French talkie. Or you may choose to view this scene again at the end of the movie. It's all there, clear as a bell, but one is distracted by the cameras attention to the neurotic young focus of the movie.

In fact, this is the only Rohmer movie out of half a dozen I've viewed where a couple clearly and emphatically makes the transition to a mature, happy and probably lifelong relationship. But it is mostly done off camera.

A couple of other tiny points: The married writer who pursues Louise is probably Rohmer's alter ego in the film, and Louise probably represents his neurotic early films that typically don't go anywhere. The movie also seems to have some message about the project-like surburbs with their cold metal facilities, vs. the warm hubub of Paris. In other Rohmer movies, Parisians retreat to georgeous country homes with gardens, or seaside villas, but pointedly not in this movie.

If you have known people like the characters in the film, who say they want to be alone but compulsively hang out with whoever is available, becoming distracted from their true goals; if you like irony and don't need everything spelled out, and like to think about movies, you will enjoy this one. If you just want a light romantic comedy, watch an American film. January 7, 2004

Full Moon, Full Marks.

Director Eric Rohmer's FULL MOON IN PARIS is the fourth in his series of "Comedies and Proverbs" starring Pascale Ogier and Tcheky Karyo. To some, Rohmer is an acquired taste. You either embrace or dislike his style of filmmaking. He is one of the few directors that really know how to direct women. He has an uncanny knack of getting inside their minds, and Full Moon In Paris is no exception.

The story opens in Louise's (Pascale Ogier) apartment home in Marne-La-Vallee that she shares with boyfriend Remi (Tcheky Karyo). Remi is an architect and a home bird, while Louise is more the out going type. She is the very opposite to Remi's rather conservative personality. Although in love with him, she feels uncomfortable whenever they go out together, as she senses that Remi is ill at ease over her long hours of socializing. Ideally, she wants to move to Paris where she works as a designer so that she can enjoy the nightlife with her friends.

Enter Octave, played by Fabrice Luchini. Octave is a writer who is married with one child. He also happens to be Louise's confidant. There is a great scene in Octave's home, when Louise, who is trying to resist his advances, offer's her opinion about when women should have children. Ogier looks really beautiful in this scene, and I love her hairstyle. In someway her dress demeanor is like a montage. She's impish, sexy, and refined at the same time. As Octave says she is flirty without realizing it.

This encounter with Octave shows that Louise is a woman of some intellect. For instance, her observations of life are well defined. She is conscious that some women have a limbo period in their mid- twenties, and that nature is forcing her to re-examine her own life.
As she says herself, she has been in and out of relationships since she was fifteen, and now needs time and space to be on her own. She is not prepared to make a long-term commitment to Remi just yet, and fears if she did she would lose contact with her youth.

In a way, Remi's stifling persona is partly to blame for her problem. He is several years older than her, and cannot comprehend why she does not behave like he does. She is artistic and likes socializing. While he plays tennis and doesn't. Clearly in his thirties, Remi has enjoyed his life as a twenty something, but now wants to curtail Louise of that privilege by pressing her into marriage. In essence, Louise senses that Remi is killing her youth. (There is a common thread in Rohmer's films, about lovers from different generations falling in and out of love, and Full Moon continues this theme).

When Louise eventually moves into her old Parisian apartment, she tries to convince Remi that her decision to stay in Paris during weekdays, only returning to him at weekends, would be best for both of them. Alas, her wish to have a more independent lifestyle does not last, and the loneliness of staying at home without a partner is well underlined during this segment of the film.

Desperate to have some company she meets Octave in a café bar. Where during a trip to the ladies room, she almost stumbles upon Remi. When she returns she tells Octave what she had just seen. While he claims he did not see Remi, he did observe a woman that looked rather familiar. Liking her to someone that they both met at an earlier function. But he wasn't sure. Louise looking worried recalls a joke she had made to Remi. It was a test about going out with other partners to see if they were still committed to each other.
This apparent discovery sends Louise on a rebound where she meets Bastien, a musician played by Christian Vadim. The two of them enjoy each other's company, but Octave, who also has designs on her, arrives at the same party and disapproves of Louise's newfound friendship. It is at this point that the film evolves, with some fascinating insights into the female mind.

Without doubt, Rohmer's screenplay delivers some of the best dialogue ever written for the big screen. Fabrice Luchini, who later returns in one of Rohmer's finest films
4 ADVENTURES OF REINETTE & MIRABELLE, is perfectly cast as Octave.
I have a strong suspicion that Luchini's character is really Eric Rohmer in disguise, much the same way that Jean-Pierre-Leaud played Truffaunt's altered ego in STOLEN KISSES. Viriginie Thevenet and Laszlo Szabo are also excellent in supporting roles. Lastly, one must not overlook Tcheky Karyo's portrayal of Remi. His performance as a man frustrated with Louise's outgoing personality is a memorable one.

The film ends in double irony, one intended by the screenplay, and the other following completion of the film. While Tcheky Karyo is now an international star, playing in blockbusters like The PATROIT, GOLDENEYE, and most notably as the villain in BAD BOYS, fate was not so kind to Pascale Ogier. Sadly, she died from a heart attack several months after the film was made on October 25th 1984.

Pascale not only starred in Full Moon In Paris, she was set designer as well. The Master (Rohmer) is known for letting colors flow in his films, but Ogier, obviously in the driving seat, appeared to have controlled the amount of color used in this film. The net result is a striking presentation of less is more by Ogier. Eric Rohmer has always been faithful to those who have worked with him, and no doubt had she lived he would have used Pascale Ogier again. She was a beautiful talented soul that was taken from us at just twenty-four years of age.

In a fitting appreciation of her contribution to the motion picture industry,
Pascale Ogier was awarded Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival in 1984 for her performance in Full Moon In Paris. October 30, 2003

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