CINEMA & SAINT TROPEZ
LA COLLECTIONNEUSE, ERIC ROHMER
Among the cinematographic works that Saint Tropez has played host to, and which have profoundly influenced Erevan's inspiration, “La Collectionneuse” stands at the very top. Conceived by Rohmer, this Moral Tale is a study of male-female relationships, desire and manipulation, set in a vacation film.
1967, THE QUEST FOR NOTHINGNESS UNDER THE TROPEZIAN SUN
Above all, it's the story of a man, Adrien, a Parisian gallery owner in exile on the coast, in search of “nothing”, total disconnection and a retreat from his current relationship. The woman he loves, revealed in the prologue, will not follow him on his Tropezian vacation. The character of this kind of Dandy, self-satisfied and solitary, a firm believer in his morals, is played by Patrick Bauchau. His summer retreat is a friend's country house, none other than Mas de Chastelas.
Haydée, played by Haydée Politoff, is the woman who gives the film its title. At least, that's how Daniel will judge her. As the summer progresses and the story unfolds, she “collects” meetings and lovers, her only moral compass being the whims of her desires. Faced with the woman who joins them in their summer haven, the two friends enter into an unconscious rivalry, which will determine who succeeds in seducing her. Unconscious, because both are bewildered by Haydée's tempting force, something they can't admit to each other, at the risk of betraying the sentimental morality they loudly proclaim. Elusive, she personifies the wind of freedom blowing through France at the time.
La Collectionneuse can sometimes take on the air of a documentary. Rohmer never fails to draw on the bucolic charm of Saint Tropez, its coves and plains. It is precisely this discreet charm that inspires Erevan throughout the film, as much as the elegance worn by each of the protagonists.
