Claire's Knee (1970)

On lakeside summer holiday, a conflicted older man is dared to have a flirt with two beautiful teenage stepsisters despite his betrothal to a diplomat's daughter and the fact that the girls have boyfriends.

Director:

Éric Rohmer

Writer:

Éric Rohmer

Stars:

Jean-Claude Brialy, Aurora Cornu, Béatrice Romand

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 6 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Jean-Claude Brialy	...	Jerome
Aurora Cornu	...	Aurora, the novelist
Béatrice Romand	...	Laura
Laurence de Monaghan	...	Claire
Michèle Montel	...	Madame Walter
Gérard Falconetti	...	Gilles
Fabrice Luchini	...	Vincent
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Sandra Franchina

Storyline

In this talky lighthearted slow-paced melodrama, Jerome, a cultural attache, spends his last summer holidays as a bachelor at Lake Annecy where he meets Aurora, an Italian writer and old friend. She talks him into a flirt with his landlady's teenage daughter, Laura, which he indulges in until he meets and falls for Laura's blonde half-sister Claire and develops a desire to caress her knee. Jerome eventually dares to try his luck with Claire, only to realize that, unlike with Laura, his affections this time are mostly one-sided.

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Plot Keywords:

mini skirt | lolita | teenager | sexual fetish | love triangle | 

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

GP

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

21 February 1971 (USA)

Also Known As:

Claire's Knee

Filming Locations:

Lac d'Annecy, Annecy, Haute-Savoie, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films du Losange

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Without counting a picture frame seen from the distance, the title character's first appearance takes place after 47 minutes into the film.

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Goofs

Near the end of the movie, Jerôme and Claire Annecy are going by boat to Annecy but have to seek refuge under a shelter because of a storm. During their conversation, the irregular flow of the watering device used to create the big rain can be clearly heard.

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Quotes

Aurora, the novelist: Writing forces me to keep my eyes open.

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Connections

Followed by Chloe in the Afternoon (1972)

User Reviews

Talk And Talk And Talk - About Drivel!

This film, overall, was about as exciting as the title. Then again, if you enjoy a bunch of hedonistic Frenchmen sitting around talking, talking and more talking, all espousing Liberal philosophies....you'll love it!

The group includes a bearded dude, his wife and friends, and a guy who has the hots for a 14-year-old girl, "Clarie."

I'm not kidding. Go ahead, spend a few bucks, rent this film and you'll see what I mean. This is about as boring a movie as you will ever find. Literally, staring at someone's knee for 105 minutes is about as interesting as listening to this drivel labeled "dialog."