From Screenpedia
- Group 2: How is Rohmer using the word, "moral"? How is morality portrayed in Chloé?
- Group 3: What is meant by "courtly love," in the context of Rohmer's films?
- Group 4: Monaco states that le pari ("the bet") is "the encompassing metaphor that Rohmer wants for the entire series" (p. 297). And he emphasizes "Pascal's wager" (see Wikipedia: "...posed by the French philosopher Blaise Pascal that even though the existence of God cannot be determined through reason, a person should "wager" as though God exists, because so living has potentially everything to gain, and certainly nothing to lose.").
- What ethical/existential issues does that wager/bet raise? Do you see them in Chloé?
- Group 1: In a footnote (p. 304), Monaco quotes Rohmer saying, "The men in my films are not meant to be particularly sympathetic characters." Is Frédéric a sympathetic character? Provide evidence from the film to support your interpretation. How do you interpret his fantasy sequence?
Further questions -- All groups
- Crisp contends that clothing serves a figurative or "symbolic" function in Chloé. How is this motif developed in the film and what meaning(s) does it signify, according to Crisp?
- Monaco notes that Rohmer often uses nonprofessional actors in the Moral tales. What impact does he say this has? Or what purpose does it serve? Do you agree with Monaco?
- Monaco says that Rohmer creates "mosaics" out of "mundane details" in his films. Why? Do you think that Chloé successfully "invests la vie quotidienne ["everyday life"] with some meaningful rhythms"?
Bibliography
- James Monaco, The New Wave (NY: Oxford University, 1976), .
- Crisp, C. G. Eric Rohmer: Realist and Moralist. Bloomington, IN: Indiana University Press, 1988.
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