The Romance of Astrée and Céladon

＜English＞

2009 January 17

Hello, chief editor Yuki here.


Last year, I had the fortune of attending a screening of Éric Rohmer's latest film, "Romance of Astree and Celadon (French: Les Amours d'Astrée et de Céladon)". It's not a queer film in itself, but it was a very interesting movie with some very queer elements woven in, so I thought I'd introduce it here briefly.

【STORY】

"The Romance of Astrée and Céladon" tells the classic dramatic tale of love between young shepherd Céladon and his sole desire Astrée - beautifully unfolding against the rich, green landscape of 5th century France. The story begins when a twist of fate inspires Astrée to forbid Céladon from ever appearing before her again. A nymph taking pity on the heartbroken man and a druid priest try to help him find ways by which he may see her once again. Ultimately, he sets off, dressed as a woman, to meet the unknowing Astrée - and the two develop a friendship bringing them close once again.

The film is about the love of Céladon, a young man who yearns to be close to his former lover, and the fantastic sequence of events inspired by his decision to don female garb to do so. Astrée, unaware that the young woman is Céladon, finds herself drawn to her new companion. The film masterfully depicts the ambiguity of sexual boundaries and our illusions, as seen through the clear touch of the great French film director Éric Rohmer, known widely as a representative figure of French New Wave cinema. Incidentally, Rohmer turns 88 this year.

The film is adapted from the 17th century novel by Honoré d'Urfé, "L'Astrée", popular in its time among women and in French literary salons. While the novel itself dates back nearly 400 years, it pointedly raises the timeless questions of what gender, sexuality, and love truly are. Fans of French New Wave cinema, or classic literature, would surely be enthralled by Rohmer's latest!

Also, to mark the film's release here in Japan, several talk events (all in Japanese) have been scheduled with guests well known to the queer scene! Such guests include Shogo Kariyazaki, the openly gay flower arrangement artist, and manga author Riyoko Ikeda, best known for her gender-bending work "The Rose of Versailles".

※Astrée and Céladon

★Bonus: Some Queer Background on the Film's Actors!

--Céladon is played by the young actor Andy Gillet, who only just recently appeared in the Korean film "Antique Cakeshop", directed by Gyu-Dong Min, as the gay pastry chef's (Kim Jae Wook) ex-boyfriend. He has long been a gay-friendly actor.
--Astrée is played by Stéphanie Crayencour, a new actress to French film and the great-niece of the renowned French novelist, and out lesbian, Marguerite Yourcenar. Yourcenar is distinguished for being the first woman elected to the Académie française, a prestigious scholarly academy of the French language. Just about everyone in France today knows the name of this eminent novelist. Yourcenar's partner was an American woman named Grace Frick who she stayed with in the United States for 42 years until her death in 1987. Grace oversaw the English translations of Yourcenar's works, which suggests that the two notable figures shared a strong artistically-inspired relationship - not unlike writer Susan Sontag and photographer Annie Leibovitz, whose relationship was covered in part by a documentary released last year. With such a famed great-aunt, it goes without saying that Crayencour herself is gay-friendly.

●The Romance of Astrée and Céladon
●Opens: Saturday, January 17 at the Ginza Theatre Cinema and other theaters across Japan
●© Rezo Productions / C.E.R.
●Distribution: Alcine Terran
●Official homepage (Japan): www.alcine-terran.com/wagaai/

【Talk Event: Line Up】

Sunday, January 18:
Talk event starts at 7:00 pm; Film scheduled to start at 7:15 pm
Guests: Nameko Shinsan (columnist & manga artist), Maho Shimao (columnist & manga artist)

Sunday, January 25:
Talk event starts at 6:50 pm; Film scheduled to start at 7:05 pm
Guests: Riyoko Ikeda (manga artist & vocalist), Shohei Chujo (scholar of French literature)

Saturday, January 31:
Talk event starts at 6:50 pm; Film scheduled to start at 7:05 pm
Guest: Hideo Shinozawa (Emeritus Professor at Gakushuin University)

Thursday, February 19:
Film starts at 6:50 pm (no previews); Talk event scheduled to start at 8:40
Guest: Shogo Kariyazaki (flower arrangement artist)

■Venue: Ginza Theatre Cinema

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