A Biography of Éric Rohmer
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Summary
This is the most detailed Rohmer biography to date, portraying a rigorous aesthete, a devout Catholic, an editor-in-chief of Cahiers du cinéma and television producer, a citizen who looked on political movements with a cold eye, a nostalgic for the ancien régime before the French Revolution…
After his death in 2010, the one hundred and forty boxes—some twenty thousand items—that Rohmer left behind became the main source material for this book. Through this massive volume of over six hundred pages, readers can gain a deep understanding of this multifaceted artist, full of contradictions and possessed of a complex personality.
Editor's review
Who it's for
A good fit for
- Researchers of the French New Wave and auteur cinema, and serious cinephiles
- Readers who love Rohmer's work and want to understand the behind-the-scenes creation and contradictions of his personality
- Readers interested in biography writing and archival research methods
- Film students using it as supplementary reading on a director case study and historical sources
Not a good fit for
- Readers who only want light gossip and a quick grasp of the director's anecdotes
- Readers with little interest in European art cinema who need strong plot-driven narrative
- Beginners hoping for a manual analyzing Rohmer's films plot by plot
Reading tips
- Watch two or three of Rohmer's representative works first, then read the corresponding chapters to appreciate the intertext between biographical material and films.
- Read the Cahiers du cinéma period and the television production sections separately to sort out his multiple professional identities.
- Don't try to finish in one go; advance in batches by themes such as "personality and faith" and "creation and editing," taking notes.
- When you reach a key film, rewatch its opening and closing credits and note traces of his personal involvement in writing and editing.
About the publisher
Shanghai People's Publishing House is a comprehensive publisher whose list focuses on academic monographs and general-interest titles in philosophy, social sciences, politics and law, economics and management, and history. Among its books are Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties History in the Chinese Dynastic History series; The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy in foreign literature; the Wenjing Classical Translation Illustrated Edition of The Complete Greek Tragedies of Euripides; and works of social theory such as Max Weber's Economy and Society and Dialectic of Enlightenment: Philosophical Fragments. Its authors include Wang Zhongluo, J.R.R. Tolkien, Luo Niansheng, and Zhou Zuoren.
Contents
- 版权信息
- 推荐序 神秘：侯麦电影与人生的全部表达
- 序言 谜一样的“大莫莫”
- 第一章 莫里斯·谢赫的青年时代1920—1945
- 第二章 从谢赫到侯麦1945—1957
- 第三章 在《狮子星座》下1959—1962
- 第四章 《电影手册》时期1957—1963
- 第五章 实验室时期1963—1970
- 第六章 四个道德故事1966—1972
- 第七章 关于德国与教学活动1969—1994
- 第八章 追寻帕西法尔的足迹1978—1979
- 第九章 六部喜剧与谚语1980—1986
- 第十章 城市的侯麦与乡村的侯麦1973—1995
- 第十一章 光影四季1989—1998
- 第十二章 拍摄历史1998—2004
- 第十三章 冬天的故事2006—2007
- 第十四章 病痛折磨2001—2010
- 电影目录
- 所选参考文献
- 致谢
FAQ
Do I need to be familiar with Rohmer's films before reading this book?
Does the book analyze film plots at length?
How should I pace my reading of a biography over six hundred pages?
Is it suitable as a reference book for film studies courses?
Comments
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About the author
Antoine de Baecque is an author about whom only limited public information is available; the details that can currently be confirmed center mainly on his representative work, Rohmer: A Biography. This book falls under the general category of biography and takes the French film director Éric Rohmer as its subject, placing it within the writing of cinematic biographies. In terms of subject matter, Baecque does not appear to offer a loose listing of life events but rather builds his narrative around a filmmaker known for a delicate and restrained style; writing of this kind generally requires both careful use of historical sources and a grasp of the subject's artistic style. Since only one work by this author is held in the collection, and no reliable records exist for his dates of birth and death, nationality, or professional career, it is not yet possible to form a fuller judgment of his writing trajectory or overall achievements. Readers who encounter this author through Rohmer: A Biography may regard it as one attempt at biographical writing centered on a film figure, whose value should be assessed further in light of the specific text.
Fan Jiahui: publicly available information is currently limited, and it is not possible to confirm their nationality, dates of birth and death, or full educational background. According to the library's holdings, Fan Jiahui has one work to date, the biography Houmai zhuan (Biography of Rohmer), classified under general biography. It can therefore be inferred that Fan Jiahui's writing and translation practice relates to the field of film-director biography, with attention to the life and work of the French filmmaker Rohmer. Biographical writing generally requires the author to balance the examination of historical sources, analysis of works, and portrayal of the subject, presenting the artist's creative trajectory while helping readers understand the subject's thought and historical context. Because relevant materials are scarce, a fuller assessment of Fan Jiahui's writing style and scholarly influence is difficult at present, but the book offers Chinese readers a reference for understanding this director and shows the author's engagement with biographical subject matter.
