Tous les matins du monde (1991)

France -17th Century. Little known 17th Century viol player and composer Monsieur de Sainte Colombe regarded public performance as an act that corrupted the purity of music. Since his wife's death, he had lived in isolation with his two daughters Madeleine and Toinette –until a young musician, Marin Marais, convinces him to teach him viol. The ambitious pupil, aware of the unique quality of his master's music, will stop at nothing to get hold of the scores. The entire movie is played in rhythm with the viol -slow, melancholic, pure, beautiful. Action addicts should not even try to watch. But art lovers will have a delightful time.

Fmovies: This is a movie about a famous (albeit somewhat mysterious)"viol" player and composer in XVII century France. The viol was the direct ancestor of the violin. The French school for this instrument is very important , although too often forgotten since the violin took over. The movie presents what little is known about the composer. This makes a very romantic and fascinating plot. The music is outstanding and was a best-seller in many european countries.It is played by some of the best early music interpreters. Photography of the "Ile de France" scenery and acting are both very good. The combination should not fail to entrance all lovers of baroque music. I hope someone comes up with a DVD version ,to further enhance the musical enchantment.

This is a beautiful movie - everything about it lingers on after you watch it. The music in particular...deep, sweet and sad. Gerard Depardieu is perfect as the ambitious and opportunistic talented viol musician. Alain Corneau makes his viewers feel as if they are right there, in every scene, experiencing the same emotions. Monsieur de Sainte Colombe chooses to live his life as a hermit, shut away from the artificiality and glamour of the royal court. His dedication to his dead wife and the music that he loves are the only things that keep him going. A strict disciplinarian, he forces his daughters to follow the example he has set them, and perhaps this is the reason for Madeleine's later sadness.

All in all, I felt that the film was a touching tribute to the sadness and grief that make true love so beautiful.

Tous les matins du monde fmovies. It's as futile to lump 'Amadeus', 'My Brother Vincent', 'Immortal Beloved', and 'Tous les matins du monde' together as it is to indiscriminately group all films about crime or all sci-fi flicks. So with pretentious generalizations on "art films" out of the way, I'd like to point out that 'Tous les matins' masters the art of pacing in a film. The story unravels in a process like the blooming of a flower -- consistent, organic, and fascinating, albeit a shade slow.

Secondly, any renaissance/baroque music fans should see this film merely for its delightful scoring. Though early European music may be an acquired taste, "Tous les matins" presents the viola de gamba in all its expressive glory, foreshadowing works like Bach's well-known cello suites. If the quasi-deep attempts to address the definition of music bother you (as they occasionally bothered me), the complementation of the music and the film's pacing will captivate you nonetheless.

And offhand, fans of Julian Sands (especially in 'Impromptu')will get a kick out of comparing him to Guillaume Depardieu as the young Marin Marais...;)

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.

Poignant, bittersweet biography, told via flashback by French Royal Court composer, Marin Marais (portrayed by Gerard Depardieu); of his legendary musical mentor, Sainte Colombe (Jean-Pierre Marielle).

The story stays coherent, interesting and draws the viewer into the tale, without a hint of manipulation. The bizarre master musician tows his pupil and us, towards his passion, through the sheer love and artistry of his craft.

Music is no prostitute to Master Sainte Colombe, which is more than can be said for his pupil. Alas, like many of us, lessons taught too late. Reveal the layers to discover this gem. This music will possess you. Exceptional in every sense of the word.