Venice. Coeurs.

"What struck me the first time I read Alan Ayckbourn's play, on which the film is based, is the characters' relentless determination to liberate themselves of their loneliness and the obstacles it brings. The sense of solitude is irreversible. There is no cure for the desire to not be alone." Alain Resnais, as quoted by Paolo Menzione and Camillo de Marco at Cineuropa. De Marco also has a one-on-one interview with Resnais.

Updated through 9/6.

Toronto International Film Festival director Piers Handling, in his program note: "The common terrain of the entire film is Bercy, an area of Paris that has been largely renovated and modernized. The particular spaces are the ultra-modern apartments, offices and bars owned and inhabited by the various characters that people the narrative.... Resnais is not just a consummate technician of the cinema; he is also one of its greatest directors of actors. As his films have become more theatrical and interior, they have also embraced a deepening sense of human frailty."

For Reuters, Silvia Aloisi notes the critical acclaim so far: "Le Monde newspaper wrote on Saturday that the director was 'at the top of his art.'"

Update, 9/4: For Dan Fainaru, it's "a splendid picture which is sad, funny and compassionate at the same time; faithful to its theatrical origins and yet eminently suited to the big screen.... The veteran filmmaker masterfully reigns over proceedings, keeping things inside the fictitious studio universe he has created while reminding the audience of its nature by emphasising how we are watching a story unfold on a set. Having already indulged several times in similar stage adaptations, such as L'Amour à Mort, Mélo and of course Smoking/No Smoking - also based on Ayckbourn - he feels completely at ease with the genre and its details."

Update, 9/6: "Despite a perfect cast of Resnais regulars plus the master's own impeccable crafting, the characters fail to grip, and with approximately 50 short scenes, development comes in fits and starts," writes Jay Weissberg for Variety.

Posted by dwhudson at September 3, 2006 12:48 PM