La boulangère de monceau (The Bakery Girl of Monceau)

The six films comprising this cycle (one short, one medium-length and four feature-length films) each vary on a similar amorous plot, in which a Catholic principle or dogma also shines through: a man in love is seduced by another woman, seems for a moment to succumb to her charms, but ultimately returns to his first love.

The spartan production conditions meant that the film was not shot with direct sound. During post-synchronisation, the voice of Barbet Schroeder (Rohmer’s producer, who also played the lead role here) was replaced by that of Bertrand Tavernier. Furthermore, the editing was cobbled together in the offices of Cahiers du Cinéma.

The protagonist of this first moral tale is a young Parisian who sets his sights on a tall young woman whom he regularly encounters on the street. At first he does not dare to speak to her, and when he finally finds the courage to ask her out, she does not turn up. A few weeks later he tries to charm a baker’s daughter, which he succeeds in doing: he arranges a rendezvous. However, when he suddenly encounters the first young woman again, he abandons his new conquest without hesitation.

This short film already explores Rohmer’s major themes: we follow the movements of a pedestrian within a defined space, in this case the streets of the 17th arrondissement. In Rohmer’s work, the walker is also a voyeur, torn between chance encounters (the brunette baker) and encounters he deliberately tries to provoke (the dream blonde). The plot of Ma nuit chez Maud in a nutshell.

- Patrick Duynslaegher