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Claire's Knee

Original title: Le genou de Claire
  • 1970
  • GP
  • 1h 45m
IMDb RATING
7.5/10
12K
YOUR RATING
Jean-Claude Brialy and Laurence de Monaghan in Claire's Knee (1970)
Watch Bande-annonce [OV]
Play trailer2:33
1 Video
99 Photos
DramaRomance

On lakeside summer holiday, a conflicted older man is dared to have a flirt with two beautiful teenage half-sisters despite his betrothal to a diplomat's daughter and the fact that the girls... Read allOn lakeside summer holiday, a conflicted older man is dared to have a flirt with two beautiful teenage half-sisters despite his betrothal to a diplomat's daughter and the fact that the girls have boyfriends.On lakeside summer holiday, a conflicted older man is dared to have a flirt with two beautiful teenage half-sisters 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
  • See production, box office & company info
  • IMDb RATING
    7.5/10
    12K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Éric Rohmer
    • Writer
      • Éric Rohmer
    • Stars
      • Jean-Claude Brialy
      • Aurora Cornu
      • Béatrice Romand
    • 42User reviews
    • 57Critic reviews
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 6 wins & 4 nominations

    Videos1

    Bande-annonce [OV]
    Trailer 2:33
    Watch Bande-annonce [OV]

    Photos99

    Jean-Louis Trintignant, Jean-Claude Brialy, Claudine Soubrier, and Bertrand Tavernier in The Bakery Girl of Monceau (1963)
    Jean-Claude Brialy and Laurence de Monaghan in Claire's Knee (1970)
    Jean-Claude Brialy and Laurence de Monaghan in Claire's Knee (1970)
    Jean-Claude Brialy and Laurence de Monaghan in Claire's Knee (1970)
    Jean-Claude Brialy and Laurence de Monaghan in Claire's Knee (1970)
    Suzanne's Career (1963)
    Jean-Claude Brialy and Laurence de Monaghan in Claire's Knee (1970)
    Jean-Claude Brialy and Laurence de Monaghan in Claire's Knee (1970)
    Laurence de Monaghan in Claire's Knee (1970)
    Jean-Claude Brialy, Aurora Cornu, and Laurence de Monaghan in Claire's Knee (1970)
    Jean-Claude Brialy, Aurora Cornu, and Laurence de Monaghan in Claire's Knee (1970)
    Jean-Claude Brialy and Laurence de Monaghan in Claire's Knee (1970)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Jean-Claude Brialy
    Jean-Claude Brialy
    • Jérôme
    Aurora Cornu
    • Aurora the Novelist
    Béatrice Romand
    Béatrice Romand
    • Laura
    Laurence de Monaghan
    • Claire
    Michèle Montel
    • Madame Walter
    Gérard Falconetti
    • Gilles
    Fabrice Luchini
    Fabrice Luchini
    • Vincent
    Sandra Franchina
    • Director
      • Éric Rohmer
    • Writer
      • Éric Rohmer
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Not counting a picture frame seen from a distance, the title character's first appearance takes place 47 minutes into the film.
    • Goofs
      Near the end of the movie, Jerôme and Claire Annecy are going by boat to Annecy but must 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 heard clearly.
    • Quotes

      Jerome: Every woman has her most vulnerable point. For some, it's the nape of the neck, the waist, the hands. For Claire, in that position, in that light, it was her knee.

    • Connections
      Edited into 365 Days, also Known as a Year (2019)

    User reviews42

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    Warm, sensual and beautifully presented
    The title of this charming film by Eric Rohmer is perhaps too provocative. It really gives the wrong impression, yet Claire's knee is exactly the central point of the film, although in a way that will surprise you. This is the story about a thirty-something year old diplomat, Jerome Montcharvin, who encounters two pretty girls, sixteen and eighteen years old, while on vacation at Lake Annecy in France (near Lake Geneva, Switzerland) a month before his wedding and finds that they affect him more strongly than he might have expected. It is especially Claire who brings out a side of his personality that is seldom exposed, much to the merry interest of his friend, Aurora, a writer, who has guided his interest in the girls, ostensibly as material for a story she is writing. Claire's Knee, it need be said immediately has not so much to do with the pretty girl's knee as it has to do with the protagonist's self-perception. Jean-Claude Brialy, who plays Jerome Montcharvin, brings a veracious mix of smug confidence and little guy vulnerability to the part spiked with a clear case of self-delusion that illuminates his character very well. And the girls are indeed very pretty, with Laura, played with coquettish innocence by Béatrice Romand, also being clever and slyly sophisticated, vulnerable and honest. In contrast Claire, played by Laurence de Monaghan, whose fawn-like beauty is perfect for the part, seems superficial and ordinary and a bit distant. I found myself more attracted to Aurora, played with a gentle and understated irony by Aurora Cornu. She provides the objectifying point of view for us to realize that while Jerome imagines he is a man in touch with his feelings and has an objective understanding of himself, he is really a man who fools himself about his motivation, a man who can be ugly when frustrated, as he is by Claire's lack of interest in him. The dialogue, written by director Eric Rohmer, which some have found excessive is anything but. It is instead clever and witty and at times profound as Rohmer relentlessly explores the nature of love, sex, sensuality and self-delusion. The cinematography of the lake and the French alps in the summer time is luscious, and the privileged, softly indulgent life style of the characters living around the lake provoked a twinge of jealousy in my soul. This is a beautiful film, worldly wise, warm, sensual and subtle as a dinner by candlelight.
    helpful•65
    14
    • DennisLittrell
    • Jul 22, 2001

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    FAQ1

    • What are the names of all six of Rohmer's moral tales?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • February 21, 1971 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • France
    • Language
      • French
    • Also known as
      • Klerino koleno
    • Filming locations
      • Lac d'Annecy, Annecy, Haute-Savoie, France
    • Production company
      • Les Films du Losange
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

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    • Gross worldwide
      • $5,112
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

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    • Runtime
      1 hour 45 minutes
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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