French New Wave goes digital

For those unfamiliar with Eric Rohmer, one of the original French New Wave directors, his new film, The Lady and the Duke, stands out for two reasons. First off, Rohmer proves that only the dead actually die, directing his latest film at the ripe age of 82. Second, Rohmer has proven once again the ingenuity of his obviously still-sharp mind, infusing The Lady and the Duke with a digital twist.\nSet in 18th-century France during the tumultuous French Revolution, Rohmer disowns the costly budgeting of naturalism within a period piece and ops instead for a stylized dream of a composition. Rohmer commissioned artist Jean-Baptiste Marot to paint 37 backdrops for him (done in the style of paintings from that period) and used these, as opposed to big-dollar recreations. From here, Rohmer digitally superimposed the action of the film onto the paintings.\nRohmer's film tells the true story of Scottish aristocrat turned ex-patriot Grace Elliott (Lucy Russell). Grace is introduced in proper Rohmer fashion, sparring over politics with her former lover and now friend, the Duke d'Orleans (Jean-Claude Dreyfus). Both Grace and the Duke are passionate people, with strong and opposing opinions concerning the Revolution that eventually do and must bring tension to the relationship.\nThe performances in this film by Dreyfus and, most notably, Russell, work well off of one another. Russell gives a finely restrained performance of stately stoicism, in comparison to Dreyfus's mealy-mouth rantings and fervently furrowed brow. Rohmer viewed D.W. Griffith's Orphans of the Storm in pre-production to his own film, and the effects can be seen in Rohmer's epic shots of the rioting masses. However, as should be expected with Rohmer, this film is anything but a political thriller, instead thriving on dialogue and being told the narrative's intimate moments.\nComing in at just more than two hours, for those who can sit through the political banter of a foreign film and don't depend on an explosion every four seconds to maintain their attention, Rohmer's film is well worth seeing. The story of one revolution, shot with the technology of a new revolution, The Lady and the Duke is exciting and at times breathtaking in its visual originality and inventiveness. If you have the time and the appreciation, this one's worth the money.