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French director Eric Rohmer dies | French director Eric Rohmer dies |
(about 1 hour later) | |
French film-maker Eric Rohmer has died at the age of 89, his production house has said. | |
He was the director of the critically acclaimed Tales of Four Seasons and one of the key figures of the post-war New Wave cinema movement. | He was the director of the critically acclaimed Tales of Four Seasons and one of the key figures of the post-war New Wave cinema movement. |
Rohmer, born Maurice Scherer, made more than 20 feature films over 50 years. | |
His main works include the cycle of films Six Moral Tales. The third, My Night at Maud's, released in 1969, brought him international recognition. | |
His films are known for being almost completely devoid of action, featuring lengthy conversations between the usually young protagonists. | |
Pauline at the Beach, a typical work from 1983, features a 15-year-old girl's summer by the seaside and her observation of adult relationships. | |
'Master' | |
Born in 1920, Rohmer was formerly a literature professor, and literary works heavily influenced his film-making. | |
After the release of his last film, The Romance of Astrea and Celadon, at the Venice film festival in 2007, he said he was considering retirement. | After the release of his last film, The Romance of Astrea and Celadon, at the Venice film festival in 2007, he said he was considering retirement. |
Rohmer was awarded the Golden Lion at Venice in 2001 for his career's work. | |
The New Wave tried to achieve a more improvised style free from the constraints of classical cinema. | |
Rohmer said he wanted to look at "thoughts rather than actions", dealing "less with what people do than what is going on in their minds while they are doing it". | |
Reacting to news of Rohmer's death, former French Culture Minister Jack Lang called him "one of the masters of French cinema", hailing his "original and revolutionary stature". | |
Cannes film festival director Thierry Fremaux said Rohmer's body of work was "unique". | |
"Under apparent lightness, he put a rigour into his films that places him among the greatest directors in history," he said. | |
The cause of Rohmer's death was not immediately clear. |