The Romance of Astrea and Celadon (2007)

A romantic drama centered around a young shepherd and shepherdess and the ramifications of their forbidden affair.

Director:

Éric Rohmer

Writers:

Honoré d'Urfé (novel), Éric Rohmer (adaptation)

Stars:

Andy Gillet, Stéphanie Crayencour, Cécile Cassel

1 win & 7 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Andy Gillet	...	Céladon
Stéphanie Crayencour	...	Astrée
Cécile Cassel	...	Léonide
Véronique Reymond	...	Galathée
Rosette	...	Sylvie
Jocelyn Quivrin	...	Lycidas
Mathilde Mosnier	...	Phillis
Rodolphe Pauly	...	Hylas
Serge Renko	...	Adamas
Arthur Dupont	...	Semyre
Priscilla Galland	...	Amynthe
Olivier Blond	...	Un berger
Alexandre Everest	...	Un berger
Fanny Vambacas	...	Une bergère
Caroline Blotière	...	Une bergère

Storyline

In an enchanted forest, back in the time of the Druids, the shepherd Céladon and the shepherdess Astrée share a pure and chaste love. Fooled by a suitor, Astrée dismisses Céladon, who throws himself into a river out of despair. She thinks he's dead, but he's been secretly rescued by some nymphs. Faithful to the promise he made to Astrée to never appear before her again, Céladon must overcome many obstacles to break the curse. Mad with love and despair, coveted by the nymphs, surrounded by rivals, and obliged to disguise himself as a woman to be near the one he loves, will he manage to make himself known without breaking his oath? A romance filled with doubt, hazards, and delicious temptations.

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Plot Keywords:

love | nymph | shepherd | river | oath | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Did You Know?

Trivia

Dedicated in opening credits as follows: "à Pierre Zucca (1943-1995). In memoriam." Pierre Zucca was a still photographer on the sets of films directed by Jacques Rivette and François Truffaut. He originally developed the project, working from a fragment of the novel, intending to create more fantastical and supernatural elements that Rohmer eventually eschewed, such as a literal fountain of love that allowed Astra to see visions of Celadon. He struggled for years locating funding for the project, but it remained unfinished at the time of his death in 1995. Rohmer first picked up the adaptation in 1999, though it wouldn't come to completion until 2007.

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Connections

Referenced in Maestro (2014)

User Reviews

Trust the teller...

Rohmer has made great films so if he makes a strange or apparently bad film it's wiser to check if it's our expectations that are at fault, not the film. Celadon & Astrae is an odd film and I don't think it's a great film, but I don't think it's a bad one. It has conventions- as all films do- but they aren't conventional conventions so it takes time to adjust to them but it is worth adjusting and accepting the preposterous plot, the formal archaic language and the absurd psychology. There's actually a very Rohmeric film here with beautiful fluid filming and a Rohmeric concern with morality and the actors aren't trapped by the conventions they must act in: Astrea and Celadon's sorrows and joys may be conventional and absurd objectively but they are still moving and the debates are absurd in form but relevant in subject.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site [Japan]

Country:

France Italy Spain

Language:

French

Release Date:

15 August 2008 (USA)

Also Known As:

Romance of Astree and Celadon

Filming Locations:

Auvergne, France

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$386,621

Company Credits

Production Co:

Rézo Productions, Compagnie Eric Rohmer (CER), BIM Distribuzione

Technical Specs

Runtime:

109 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1