The seasons may change, but the follies of the heart are constant in this ineffably lovely quartet of films by Eric Rohmer, one of cinema’s most perceptive chroniclers of the pangs and perils of romance. Set throughout France, Tales of the Four Seasons is a cycle to stand alongside the director’s two earlier acclaimed film series, Six Moral Tales and Comedies and Proverbs. By turns comic and melancholic, breezy and richly philosophical, these bittersweet tales of love, longing, and the inevitable misunderstandings that shape human relationships probe the most complex of emotions with the utmost grace.

A Tale of Springtime – In the first film of Tales of the Four Seasons, a burgeoning friendship between philosophy teacher Jeanne (Anne Teyssèdre) and pianist Natacha (Florence Darel) is strained by jealousy, suspicion, and intrigue. Natacha encourages Jeanne to pursue Igor (Hugues Quester), Natacha’s father, in order to supplant Ève (Eloïse Bennett), his young girlfriend, whom Natacha loathes. Natacha’s scheme, however, risks alienating those closest to her as well as entangling Jeanne in the very kind of romantic drama she has vowed to avoid. A Tale of Springtime finds Eric Rohmer in full command of his subtle visual storytelling as he contrasts the brightness of his characters’ Parisian and suburban surroundings with their conflicting desires, ideas, and temperaments.

A Tale of Winter – The second Four Seasons tale made by Eric Rohmer is among the most spiritual and emotional films of his storied career. Five years after losing touch with Charles (Frédéric van den Driessche), the love of her life and the father of her young daughter, Félicie (Charlotte Véry) attempts to choose between librarian Loïc (Hervé Furic), who lives in the Parisian suburbs, and hairdresser Maxence (Michel Voletti), who has recently moved to the central French town of Nevers. In the midst of indecision, Félicie holds to an undying faith that a miracle will reunite her with Charles, a faith that Rohmer examines in all of its religious and philosophical dimensions.

A Tale of Summer – According to Eric Rohmer, A Tale of Summer is the most autobiographical film that he made. Based on events from Rohmer’s youth, this installment of Tales of the Four Seasons follows amateur musician Gaspard (Melvil Poupaud) to a seaside resort in Dinard, on the coast of Brittany. There, three women (Amanda Langlet, Gwenaëlle Simon, and Aurélia Nolin) each offer the possibility of romance, but Gaspard’s inability to commit to just one puts all of his chances at love in jeopardy. The film features Rohmer’s wistful observations on indecisiveness and the fickle nature of desire, as brought to life by a talented young cast in a picturesque setting.

A Tale of Autumn – The last entry in the Tales of the Four Seasons tetralogy is a breezy take on the classic American romantic comedies that influenced Eric Rohmer and his French New Wave peers. Set among the golden vineyards of the Rhône Valley, A Tale of Autumn concerns simultaneous schemes to find a new love for the reserved widow and winegrower Magali (Béatrice Romand). Her son’s girlfriend (Alexia Portal) attempts to pair her with a former professor and lover (Didier Sandre), while Magali’s friend Isabelle (Marie Rivière) assumes a false identity in order to lure eligible bachelor Gérald (Alain Libolt). The misunderstandings that follow are pure Rohmer in bringing out the humor in human folly.

For thoughts on Eric Rohmer’s Tales of the Four Seasons, please check out our discussion on The Video Attic:

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Video Quality

Eric Rohmer’s Tales of the Four Seasons comes to Blu-Ray with new digital AVC-encoded 1080p restorations for all four films on four individual discs. Each of these films provides a terrific viewing experience that fans will love. All four of these films have received a 2K restoration from their 35mm Original Camera Negatives except for A Tale of Winter, which received its 2K restoration from its 16mm Original Camera Negative. Digimage created all of the digital masters in Paris, and the results are stunning.

The four films are somewhat interchangeable in the best way in terms of providing A+ quality for audiences. Stylistically, Rohmer remains pretty consistent across the eight years it took to get through the four seasons. A Tale of Summer and A Tale of Autumn delight as the most visually sumptuous endeavors, but this is mostly due to the locales that served as the backdrop rather than the quality of the transfers. The presentations are as close to immaculate as you could hope for, as the new scans look tremendous throughout each film. There were no egregious instances of print damage, and overall clarity and detail are truly wonderful.

There does not appear to be any amount of digital noise due to compression limitations or other such nuisances thanks to the considerate allocation of disc space. The picture holds up extremely well throughout all four stories from the snowy, barren backdrop of Winter to the warmth of Summer. Colors are rich and deftly saturated in a visually inspiring manner. Skin tones are natural and consistent with subtle facial features easily noticeable in closeup. Black levels hold up well with essentially nothing in the way of crush. Highlights are never overbaked in any lighting. This new collection is of the highest quality from beginning to end and should please enthusiasts of the director.

Audio Quality

The Blu-Ray set comes with a remastered LPCM 1.0 mono track for each of these four films in the original French with optional English subtitles. From the beginning to the end, the remastered audio shows its might with the absence of any noticeable instances of age-related wear and tear. Dialogue comes through crisp and clear with no major signs of distortion or other weaker elements. The music showcased within each feature sounds lovely throughout the set with firm fidelity. There is never a moment where it threatens to drown out any dialogue. Environmental sounds such as the waves of the ocean or the chatter of party guests are rendered well alongside everything else. The Criterion Collection has given this collection the faithfully preserved, fantastic audio presentation it deserves.

Special Features

The Criterion Blu-Ray of Eric Rohmer’s Tales of the Four Seasons includes a substantial booklet featuring the essay “Another Year” by author Imogen Sara Smith in which he delves into the career of Eric Rohmer, individual thematic breakdowns of each film and much more that is very illuminating. The on-disc special features are as follows:

A Tale of Springtime

Eric Rohmer on A Tale of Springtime A four-minute audio interview from 1990 is provided in which Rohmer discusses his approach to filmmaking, his larger ideas behind the four seasons, not rushing through the seasons, the time between his features, and more.

The Kreutzer Sonata: The nearly 45-minute 1956 short film from Eric Rohmer is presented here which also stars the director as a man who gets insanely jealous over his wife’s admiration for a musician. This is adapted from a short story by Lev Tolstoy. This has been beautifully restored in HD.

Trailer: A minute-and-a-half trailer for the film is provided here.

A Tale of Winter

Eric Rohmer on A Tale of Winter: A nearly 12-minute audio interview from 1992 is provided in which Rohmer discusses how this installment is the anchor for the series, how the film utilizes Shakespeare in its finale, the symmetry it has with other works from his filmography, his interest in images, and more.

Four Collaborators: A new 46-minute interview piece featuring cinematographer Diane Baratier, producer Françoise Etchegaray, sound engineer Pascal Ribier, and editor Mary Stephen, in which they reflect upon their professional relationship with Eric Rohmer, how they started working with the auteur, how their collaborations grew over the years, and more. There are a plethora of rich anecdotes about Rohmer that you will not want to miss.

A Tale of Summer

Eric Rohmer on A Tale of Summer: A nearly 13-minute audio interview from 1996 is provided in which Rohmer discusses this third installment, the history of vacation spots in his work, the shooting locations, the nod to Hamlet, the qualities of his main character, the recurring performers in his work, and more.

The Making of A Tale of Summer: A 98-minute documentary is provided from footage gathered by producer Françoise Etchegaray and filmmaker Jean-André Fieschi captured during the production of A Tale of Summer in 1995. There is so much candid footage that is worth exploring if you enjoyed the film.

A Tale of Autumn

Eric Rohmer on A Tale of Autumn: A 12-minute audio interview from 1998 is provided in which Rohmer discusses this final installment, the overarching themes of the seasons, how certain films echo one another, the journey of the characters, the camerawork in the film, and more.

A Farmer In Montfaucon: The 14-minute 1968 documentary short film from Eric Rohmer is presented here which follows a farmer whose way of life is threatened by developing industries in her area. This has been beautifully restored in HD.

Final Thoughts

Eric Rohmer’s Tales of the Four Seasons is a beautiful quartet of films from the master auteur that speak with one another while still maintaining their distinct identity. Rohmer is a master of character and dialogue, and through these narratives, he achieves something quite moving and timeless. This series of films brings forth new talent for each entry that feels perfectly matched to their story. There is not a weak note across the board in our eyes, and Rohmer showed he had not lost a step in his later years. The Criterion Collection has released a Blu-Ray set that features the films with an unbelievable A/V presentation and a notable assortment of special features. For French film fans or Rohmer fans specifically, this is one release that you should not be without. Highly Recommended

Eric Rohmer’s Tales of the Four Seasons is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: The Criterion Collection has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.