A Summer's Tale
A Summer's Tale (French: Conte d'été) is a 1996 French romance film directed by Éric Rohmer. It is the third film in his Contes des quatre saisons (Tales of the Four Seasons) series, which includes A Tale of Springtime (1990), Conte d'été, Autumn Tale (1998), and A Tale of Winter (1992). Conte d'été stars Melvil Poupaud, Amanda Langlet, Aurélia Nolin, and Gwenaëlle Simon.
| Conte d'été | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | Éric Rohmer |
| Produced by | Françoise Etchegaray Margaret Ménégoz |
| Written by | Éric Rohmer |
| Starring | Melvil Poupaud |
| Music by | Philippe Eidel Sébastien Erms |
| Cinematography | Diane Baratier |
| Edited by | Mary Stephen |
| Distributed by | Les Films du Losange |
Release date | 5 June 1996 |
Running time | 113 minutes |
| Country | France |
| Language | French |
| Box office | $198,126[1] |
The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival.[2]
Plot
Gaspard (Melvil Poupaud), a young mathematician and musician, is on holiday by the seaside in Dinard, a small Breton seaside resort, before starting a new job. Over roughly three weeks he meets a trio of women. First is Margot (Amanda Langlet), a cheerful waitress who enjoys spending time with Gaspard, but isn't interested in more than a friendship. Solene (Gwenaëlle Simon) is more affectionate and sensual - she's willing to have a relationship with Gaspard if he will commit to only her. Then there's Lena (Aurelia Nolin), Gaspard's longtime semi-girlfriend whose ambiguous romantic attitude towards him keeps him in a state of permanent consternation. Gaspard awaits Lena, who does not immediately arrive. Only a short while after this, he crosses paths with Margot, and they develop a strong friendship; Gaspard also has a fling with Solène, Margot's adventure-seeking friend. Lena eventually does turn up, and by this time, Gaspard has become attached to all three women. As the summer wears on, Gaspard finds himself increasingly torn between the three women, finding each the most appealing when he's with her, and recognizing that the day is fast approaching when he will have to choose.[3]
Cast
- Melvil Poupaud - Gaspard
- Amanda Langlet - Margot
- Gwenaëlle Simon - Solene
- Aurelia Nolin - Lena
- Aimé Lefèvre - The Newfoundlander
- Alain Guellaff - Uncle Alain
- Evelyne Lahana - Aunt Maiwen
- Yves Guérin - Accordionist
- Franck Cabot - Cousin
References
- "A Summer's Tale". Box Office Mojo.
- "Festival de Cannes: A Summer's Tale". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-09-19.
- Berardinelli, James (2000). "A Summer's Tale (Conte d'été)", Reelviews. Retrieved 2014-06-21.
