Themes: Vacation Romances, Unrequited Love, First Love
Main Cast: Amanda Langlet, Arielle Dombasle, Pascal Greggory, Féodor Atkine, Simon de la Brosse
Release Year: 1983
Country: FR
Run Time: 95 minutes
MPAA Rating: R
Plot
Pauline a la Plage is the third of French filmmaker Eric Rohmer's "Comedies et Proverbes." Pauline (Amanda Langlet) is the teen-aged cousin of the seemingly more worldly and sensible Marion (Arielle Dombasle). Both girls become entwined in amorous escapades while vacationing at the beach. It gradually develops that Marion is the one least capable of handling herself, while Pauline grows in maturity from her summertime experiences. It is nothing short of amazing how Eric Rohmer can take the most conventional and obvious of material and weave something as charming and profound as Pauline at the Beach. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Plot is rarely the strong point of Eric Rohmer's films; he tends to be much less interested in what characters are doing than in why they are doing them. This is very much the case with the lovely, fragile Pauline at the Beach, in which Rohmer gathers together a group of individuals, mixes them up in various pairings and then sits back to see how they come out. Clearly, there is more structure to the film than that, but it is Rohmer's gift to create films that have this natural, casual feeling to them, as if they happened more or less by chance. Witty, ironic, compassionate and observant, Pauline has a great deal to say about relationships and the roles people (consciously and unconsciously) assume around and with one other. Although Rohmer's pacing is deliberate, the film is never dull; rather, the director is giving the audience the time to experience and discover things along with the characters. Rohmer's cast is excellent, with young Amanda Langlet giving a performance of subtlety and assurance that is remarkable. Beautifully realized, Pauline is a treasure for movie fans that prefer films that whisper rather than boldly proclaim their charms. ~ Craig Butler, All Movie Guide
In a summer vacation in Normandy, Pauline, a proud and sensitive teenager, discovers the games of love.
Marion, a voluptuous blond fashion designer, (Arielle Dombasle), is a self-absorbed divorcée. She is a flirt who talks of wanting to "burn with love." She does this with Henri, (Féodor Atkine), a fortyish womaniser, who is amused when she lands in his bed on their first date, and is impressed by her beauty. He sees through her pretensions however; she is of only passing interest to him. Pierre, (Pascal Greggory), a handsome blond wind-surfer has known Marion for years. He hangs around Marion and can't understand why his devotion has never got him anywhere. Marion urges him to date Pauline, (Amanda Langlet), her fifteen year old cousin who has been put in her charge for a few weeks. She advises Pauline to gain some sexual experience by going out with Pierre. Pauline however finds a boyfriend on her own, who is about her age - Sylvain (Simon de la Brosse).
The incident that creates the bedroom-farce misunderstandings is a casual sexual matinée. While Henri is with a working class girl, a candy seller from the beach, (played by an actress known simply as Rosette), Sylvain rushes to warn him that Marion is on her way. Hoping to avoid a scene Henri pushes the candy girl and Sylvain into the bathroom. When Marion sees them, she assumes that the liaison has been theirs. Eventually, through Pierre, Pauline hears of it, and is hurt.[1]
"The film begins with a French proverb translated as, 'A wagging tongue bites itself.' Pauline, who is the moral center of the film, doesn't carry tales. She listens to Marion deceiving herself and switching from one attitude to another as she tries to manipulate Henri. Pauline takes in what people say and what they do; she doesn't add to the talk with what she has heard." [2]
