The Collector (1967)

 Eric Rohmer's "The Collector"

Although Eric Rohmer had released several feature-length films in his career, his 1967 film "The Collector" felt more like a spiritual and aesthetic beginning for him. The French New Wave movement had reached a stagnation point and Rohmer's visual calmness felt almost like a rebellion of the movement itself. This is ironic given that New Wave's entire thesis was of rebelling against the norm.

However, many scholars consider "The Collector" an invigorating dimension of the New Wave movement, despite its seeming disconnect. After all, Rohmer was a decade older than his New Wave contemporaries, which allowed him to view the movement through a more objective and observational lens. 

The brash nature of New Wave was becoming stale and as Rohmer posits in "The Collector," perhaps subtly and reservation are more suitable for modern audiences. With "The Collector," Rohmer manages to communicate the generational disconnect. Even more so, he does so with a critical lens on his own generation.

"The Collector" centers on an art dealer named Adrien, who, needing a quiet vacation and a respite from his fiancée, stays at his wealthy friend's summer villa while he is away. At the villa are Daniel, another friend of Adrien's, and Haydee, a young woman with a different man in her bed almost every night. Adrien begins in a state of annoyance at Haydee's presence. He eventually becomes obsessed with her, believing that the two of them, along with the completion of a love triangle in Daniel, are engaged in an unspoken game of love.

The first thing you notice about our protagonist, Adrien (along with his narrations of the story), is his misogyny and narcissism. Despite being the protagonist, he is not a sympathetic character and may even perhaps rile up a sense of derision from the audience. The unspoken 'game' he seems to be playing with Haydee almost feels like a one-sided affair, with Haydee aloof to any kind of game afoot.

Haydee is far more of a representation of the youth generation in the 1960s. She is a sexually liberated young woman who has absolutely no sense of self-condemnation of her breezy and sexually active lifestyle (nor should she). This sense of self-liberation really bothers the men in the film, who verbally abuse her throughout. 

However, their anger and abuse towards Haydee is ultimately hypocritical. The second she shows any perceived interest in either one results in them catering to a desire towards her, dropping any pretense of moral superiority. Their apparent hypocrisy is clear, which makes the subjective narration by Adrien feel all the more disconnected from the events as observed by the viewer. 

This clear disconnect from the subjective narration of Adrien and the viewer's observations of actual events fuel's the film's narrative fire. To me, the film's observations are of a disconnect. Whether this disconnect is between the viewer and the protagonist or the protagonist and his housemates. Either way, our protagonist derives a sense of misunderstanding and detachment from everyone he is in contact with (even us). 

Of course, if you apply this thematic notion to the contemporary cinematic landscape that Rohmer is working in, it becomes clear that Rohmer may be illustrating the differing perspectives between the generations. More specifically to Rohmer himself, the disconnect between himself and his contemporaries. This is in no way allegorical, as I do not believe he is identifying any particular person, whether himself or his contemporaries, to the unlikeable and narcissistic protagonist. Rather, it feels as though the point he is illustrating relies solely the result of the protagonist's selfish intents. 

Adrien feels both a hatred and an obsessive enamoration with Haydee. He both resents her because of the self-imposed freedoms she affords herself as well as feeling desirous of them. Similarly, many filmmakers were perhaps of the same mind towards the New Wavers. They are both angry over their creative freedom while also feeling jealous of it. However, I am looking at this far more like a filmmaker. I think its wiser to extrapolate this notion into the greater social arena it was intended to represent. More specifically, the older generation's resentments and envy towards the younger generations self-imposed liberation. 

What's even more striking about "The Collector" is its visual quality. It was Rohmer's first color film, as many filmmakers were transitioning solely to color filmmaking around this time. However, like the Swedish "Elvira Madigan" from the same year, the coloring of the film really adds a dimension of reality. Almost as if the film screen has vanished and the audience is observing a sunny summer day wholesale. 

I am excited to continue in the works of Eric Rohmer, as my enjoyment of "The Collector" left me nothing but intrigued. There is a breezy style and grace to his cinematic choices, that feel effortlessly natural. Because "The Collector" offered so much complexity and emotional depth, I'm certain I will continue to enjoy his filmography greatly.