All the Mornings of the World/Tous les matins du monde (1991)
In this French period piece set in the 1600s, Gérard Depardieu plays a successful musician at the court of Louis XIV. Through flashbacks and narration in his lovely voice, we learn how he honed his craft in his youth. Who plays young Gérard? His son, Guillaume Depardieu! For that reason alone, this movie is wonderfully sweet and a joy to watch.
Jean-Pierre Marielle is a widower who buries his grief in his music. He’s very strict and raises his daughters to bury themselves in their music as he has done. Some of their scenes are hard to watch, but they’re certainly effective. When Guillaume comes to him asking for private lessons, it’s a sure bet that at least one of Jean-Pierre’s daughters, Anne Brochet or Carole Richert, is going to develop a crush on him. He’s very handsome and very talented, and they’ve never been allowed to have such close contact with a man before.
As you can tell from the beginning, or the melancholy viola music throughout the movie, or Gérard’s tearful expressions as he tells his story, this is not going to be a happy movie. It’s quite sad, so bring your Kleenexes. If you’ve never seen a French movie before, this is a great one to start with. With top-notch acting, music, set designs, costumes, and an engaging romantic story, it could easily be seen as one of the top French films of the decade. No wonder it swept seven César awards, including Best Picture!
More Gérard Depardieu movies here!
Jean-Pierre Marielle is a widower who buries his grief in his music. He’s very strict and raises his daughters to bury themselves in their music as he has done. Some of their scenes are hard to watch, but they’re certainly effective. When Guillaume comes to him asking for private lessons, it’s a sure bet that at least one of Jean-Pierre’s daughters, Anne Brochet or Carole Richert, is going to develop a crush on him. He’s very handsome and very talented, and they’ve never been allowed to have such close contact with a man before.
As you can tell from the beginning, or the melancholy viola music throughout the movie, or Gérard’s tearful expressions as he tells his story, this is not going to be a happy movie. It’s quite sad, so bring your Kleenexes. If you’ve never seen a French movie before, this is a great one to start with. With top-notch acting, music, set designs, costumes, and an engaging romantic story, it could easily be seen as one of the top French films of the decade. No wonder it swept seven César awards, including Best Picture!
More Gérard Depardieu movies here!