A Summer's Tale is a 1996 French

Cinema of France

The Cinema of France comprises the art of film and creative movies made within the nation of France or by French filmmakers abroad.France is the birthplace of cinema and was responsible for many of its early significant contributions. Several important cinematic movements, including the Nouvelle...

 romance film

Romance film

Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...

 directed by Éric Rohmer

Éric Rohmer

Éric Rohmer was a French film director, film critic, journalist, novelist, screenwriter and teacher. A figure in the post-war New Wave cinema, he was a former editor of Cahiers du cinéma....

. It is the third film in his Contes des quatre saisons (Tales of the Four Seasons) series, which includes Conte de printemps

Conte de printemps

Conte de printemps is a 1990 French film directed by Éric Rohmer, starring Anne Teyssèdre, Hugues Quester and Florence Darel. It is the first of Rohmer's Contes des quatre saisons , which also includes A Tale of Winter , A Summer's Tale and Autumn Tale ....

(1990), Conte d'été, Conte d'automne

Conte d'automne

Autumn Tale is a 1998 French film, directed by Éric Rohmer, starring Béatrice Romand, Marie Rivière, Alain Libolt, Didier Sandre, Alexia Portal, and Aurélia Alcaïs...

(1998), and Conte d'hiver

Conte d'hiver

A Tale of Winter is a 1992 French drama film directed by Éric Rohmer, and starring Charlotte Véry, Frédéric van den Driessche and Michael Voletti. It is the second of Rohmer's Contes des quatre saisons , which also includes A Tale of Springtime , A Summer's Tale and Autumn Tale...

(1992). Conte d'été stars Melvil Poupaud

Melvil Poupaud

Melvil Poupaud is a French actor.He was named after Herman Melville by his screenwriter mother. At the age of ten, he launched into acting with a role in La Ville des Pirates , directed by Raul Ruiz. At the age of 15, he was nominated for a César...

, Amanda Langlet

Amanda Langlet

Amanda Langlet is a French actressShe began her career on television in Les 400 coups de Virginie in 1979, directed by Bernard Queysanne. A leading rôle in Éric Rohmer's Pauline at the Beach followed in 1983, Elsa,Elsa directed by Didier Haudepin in 1985, Rosette cherche une chambre in 1987 and...

, Aurélia Nolin, and Gwenaëlle Simon.

The film was screened in the Un Certain Regard

Un Certain Regard

Un Certain Regard is a section of the Cannes Film Festival's Official Selection. It is run at the Salle Debussy, parallel to the competition for the Palme d'Or.This section was introduced in 1978 by Gilles Jacob...

 section at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival

1996 Cannes Film Festival

-Jury:*Francis Ford Coppola *Nathalie Baye *Greta Scacchi, actrice *Michael Ballhaus *Henry Chapier *Atom Egoyan *Eiko Ishioka *Krzysztof Piesiewicz *Antonio Tabucchi...

.

Plot

Gaspard, the main character, arrives on holiday in a small Breton seaside resort. He awaits his girlfriend, Lena, who does not arrive. Only a short while after this, he crosses paths with the waitress 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.

Gaspard (Melvil Poupaud) is a young mathematician/musician vacationing by the seaside in Brittany, France before starting a new job. The film covers roughly three weeks in his life and introduces us to the trio of women he encounters during that time. 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 constant consternation. 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. http://www.reelviews.net/movies/s/summers_tale.html

Cast

• Melvil Poupaud
  Melvil Poupaud
  Melvil Poupaud is a French actor.He was named after Herman Melville by his screenwriter mother. At the age of ten, he launched into acting with a role in La Ville des Pirates , directed by Raul Ruiz. At the age of 15, he was nominated for a César...
  
   - Gaspard
• Amanda Langlet
  Amanda Langlet
  Amanda Langlet is a French actressShe began her career on television in Les 400 coups de Virginie in 1979, directed by Bernard Queysanne. A leading rôle in Éric Rohmer's Pauline at the Beach followed in 1983, Elsa,Elsa directed by Didier Haudepin in 1985, Rosette cherche une chambre in 1987 and...
  
   - 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