All the Mornings of the World

Seventeenth century France. After his wife's death Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe withdraws to a hut in the country and plays the viola da gamba. He is invited to court and refuses; he believes music is for the dead and not for an audience. The young Marin Marais comes to study with him. Marais is gifted and ambitious, and soon finds a place at court. The old man will not have him back. Alain Corneau directs. Jean-Pierre Marielle plays Sainte-Colombe, Guillaume Depardieu the young Marais and Gérard Depardieu the old one. The source is Pascal Quignard's short novel, and he wrote the screenplay. The question at the centre is what music is for. For Sainte-Colombe it is not a presentation but a form of mourning; for Marais it is a profession. The narrative takes no side, and where the film's sympathy lies is clear. The music was recorded by Jordi Savall on period instruments; the film contributed to the revival of interest in baroque music in France and the album sold heavily. Yves Angelo is the cinematographer; the scenes are built as if taken from Dutch painting of the period, worked with a single source of light. It won a number of Césars in 1992, including best film. Who it is for: viewers who like baroque music and period drama. Who it is not for: the pace is very slow, there is little dialogue, and the film seeks no emotional peak at any point.