Tous les matins du monde (1991)

The story of Monsieur de Sainte Colombe, fierce and somber man, grand master of the viola da gamba and professor of Marin Marais, prestigious musician in the court of Louis XIV.

Director:

Alain Corneau

Writers:

Pascal Quignard (based on the novel by), Alain Corneau (adaptation)

Stars:

Gérard Depardieu, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Anne Brochet

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 9 wins & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jean-Pierre Marielle	...	Monsieur de Sainte Colombe
Gérard Depardieu	...	Marin Marais
Anne Brochet	...	Madeleine
Guillaume Depardieu	...	Young Marin Marais
Carole Richert	...	Toinette
Michel Bouquet	...	Baugin
Jean-Claude Dreyfus	...	Abbe Mathieu
Yves Gasc	...	Caignet
Yves Lambrecht	...	Charbonnières
Jean-Marie Poirier	...	Monsieur de Bures
Myriam Boyer	...	Guignotte
Violaine Lacroix	...	Young Madeleine
Nadège Teron	...	Young Toinette
Caroline Silhol	...	Mme. de Sainte Colombe (as Caroline Sihol)
Philippe Duclos	...	Brunet (voice)

Storyline

It's late 17th century. The viola da gamba player Monsieur de Sainte Colombe comes home to find that his wife died while he was away. In his grief he builds a small house in his garden into which he moves to dedicate his life to music and his two young daughters Madeleine and Toinette, avoiding the outside world. Rumor about him and his music is widespread, and even reaches to the court of Louis XIV, who wants him at his court in Lully's orchestra, but Monsieur de Sainte Colombe refuses. One day a young man, Marin Marais, comes to see him with a request, he wants to be taught how to play the viola.

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Plot Keywords:

viola | viola da gamba | sainte colombe | court | orchestra | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Music | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

The soundtrack album of Baroque music outsold Michael Jackson, upon its release in France, and outsold Madonna upon its release in the United States.

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Goofs

Throughout the film the music-making is very poorly mimed.

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Quotes

[first lines]
[in French, using English subtitles]
Musician: Open your mouth so we can hear you. I can't follow you. You're not listening. You're going too fast. Let's start over with the first notes of the song. Stop! The Master has signalled. The Master would speak. Speak, Master.
Marin Marais: Each note should end dying.

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Connections

Referenced in Kaamelott: Tous les matins du monde 2ème partie (2006)

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Soundtracks

Gavotte du tendre
Music by Sainte-Colombe

User Reviews

Best use of Music in Film

This is a great movie. It's a stunning look at the nature of music and it's a wonderful example of the relationship between music and film. So often in film, music is the afterthought; it's the last step of the production process and often the least considered through production. Corneau's film really works well to blend the visual medium of film with music and show them working in tandem for a brilliant result.

When you hear music in this film, you hear it because a character has picked up an instrument to play it. The film then cuts away from character and instrument, but the music remains and turns into a soundtrack that enhances the emotional power of the film. This is source music used as score, and very rarely do you see that in film. Using the music in this way really deepens the experience and strengthens both the images of the film and the emotion of the music. A music student gave me this movie to watch, and I want to pass it on to film students looking to blend the arts of film and music.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

18 December 1991 (France)

Also Known As:

All the Mornings of the World

Filming Locations:

Abbey of Moutier-d'Ahun, Moutier-d'Ahun, Creuse, France

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$39,277, 15 November 1992

Gross USA:

$3,089,497

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,089,497

Company Credits

Production Co:

Film Par Film, DD Productions, Divali Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1