The following year he entered French television, for which he made a number of varied documentaries. His first feature film, LES PETITS FILLES MODÈLES, made in 1952, was never completed; his second, THE SIGN OF LEO, released three years after its making, failed to arouse much interest.
It was in the 60s, with his cycle of six contes moraux, and especially after the international success of MA NUIT CHEZ MAUD/MY NIGHT AT MAUD'S, that Rohmer finally won recognition. The cycle comprises one short, LA BOULANGÈRE DE MONCEAU (1963), and four feature-length films, LA COLLECTIONNEUSE (1967), MA NUIT CHEZ MAUD (1969), LE GENOU DE CLAIRE/CLAIRE'S KNEE (1970), and L'AMOUR L'APRÈS-MIDI/CHLOE IN THE AFTERNOON (1972). They are all variations on a similar theme and have a common structure: intimate verbal exchanges between characters whose intellectual inflexibility is challenged by a tempting new set of physical circumstances, with ensuing inconsistencies between words spoken by the characters and their actions.
After taking a breather from the intimacy of the "Six Moral Tales" with two literary adaptations -- THE MARQUISE OF O... (1976), from the novella by Kleist, and PERCEVA LE GALLOIS (1978), from the 12th-century manuscript by Chrétien de Troyes -- Rohmer began a new cycle of films with THE AVIATOR'S WIFE (1980). Rohmer called the cycle comédies et proverbs. Like the contes moreaux, the films in the new cycle centered on words, thoughts, and emotions rather than on plot and action. But while in the former Rohmer focused on the inner world of individual characters, in the latter series he expanded his scope to encompass groups of characters or an entire social milieu. With CONTE DE PRINTEMPS/A TALE OF SPRINGTIME (1990), Rohmer inaugurated yet another new cycle of morality parables, "Tale of Four Seasons." It was followed by CONTE D'HIVER (1992, "Winter"), CONTE D'ÉTÉ (1996, "Summer") and CONTE D'AUTOMNE (1998, "Autumn"). His L'ANGLAISE ET LE DUC / THE LADY AND THE DUKE was released in 2001. Other recent writing/directing credits include TRIPLE AGENT (2004), LE CANAPÉ ROUGE (2005) and LES AMOURS D'ASTRÉE DE CÉLADON (2007).
One of the most intelligent and original thinkers of the contemporary cinema, Rohmer is also an accomplished filmmaker. Using uncomplicated, economical, but fluid camera techniques, he succeeds in capturing on film not only the evocative imagery of locales but also the inner worlds of his characters and the psychological atmosphere that grows from their encounters. An intensely private, reclusive person, Rohmer rarely discusses his creative process. His films grow out of careful, patient observation that often involves the recording of everyday conversations with people who interest him as potential protagonists, especially young women whose inner world he has long explored. Technically, he is a minimalist who maximizes the effect of the modest means he allows himself in the process of making films.
His many awards includ the Prix Max Ophüls for MY NIGHT AT MAUD'S, a Prix Louis Delluc and Prix Méliès as well as the top prize at San Sebastian for CLAIRE'S KNEE (1971), the Special Jury Prize at Cannes for THE MARQUISE OF O... (1976), and the Silver Bear as Best Director and a share of the International Critics Prize at Berlin for PAULINE AT THE BEACH (1983). He has also written the screenplays for all his films. He is the co-author with Claude Chabrol of Hitchcock (1957), a notable critical study of the work of the cinema's master of suspense.
Nominated for Writing (Best Story and Screenplay based on factual material or material not previously published or produced) 1970: MA NUIT CHEZ MAUD (MY NIGHT AT MAUD'S)
1 nomination