Mélo (1986)

65% of users liked it
(307 ratings)

Director Alain Resnais faithfully adapted his script for Melo from a 1929 play by Henry Bernstein--the first time that Resnais handled his own screenplay. Violinists and lifelong friends Pierre Arditi and Andre Dussolier have each found happiness in adulthood, but only Dussolier has become famous.… More Director Alain Resnais faithfully adapted his script for Melo from a 1929 play by Henry Bernstein--the first time that Resnais handled his own screenplay. Violinists and lifelong friends Pierre Arditi and Andre Dussolier have each found happiness in adulthood, but only Dussolier has become famous. Ardati leads a contented life with his wife, Sabine Azema, little suspecting that she is enamored of Dussolier. An abortive plan to murder her husband leads to Azema's suicide, but Ardati remains blissfully unaware of her infidelities. When the truth is revealed to Ardati, Dussolier honors the memory of Azema by insisting that no illicit romance ever occurred. One of the more "linear" of Resnais' works, Melo, filmed in 1986, was given a general American release three years later. ~ Hal Erickson, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 1 hr. 50 min.
Directed By: Alain Resnais
Genres: Drama, Romance

In Theaters: Jan 1, 1986 Wide
On DVD: Feb 19, 2008

Critic Reviews

Jeffrey M. Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
What's miraculous about Mélo is that the material never grows hysterical and feels blocked in or trapped by the stage.
Fernando F. Croce, Slant Magazine
Perennial modernist Alain Resnais enters "old man cinema" territory with grace and style.
Fernando F. Croce, Slant Magazine
s he grew older, Alain Resnais revealed the wistful sentimentalist behind the formalist pathfinder of Hiroshima Mon Amour and Muriel.
Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
It dishes out dollops of pain from among the Brahms' sonatas, and melodramatics that were dated long ago.

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Walter M

[font=Century Gothic]When I saw Alain Resnais' latest film, "Private Fears in Public Places" last year, I remarked that its theatricality was an aberration. After seeing his 1986 film "Melo" last night, I stand corrected. Its very staginess cannot be… More
[font=Century Gothic]When I saw Alain Resnais' latest film, "Private Fears in Public Places" last year, I remarked that its theatricality was an aberration. After seeing his 1986 film "Melo" last night, I stand corrected. Its very staginess cannot be disguised by any amount of camera movement. [/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]"Melo" is a banal melodrama set in Paris in the 1920's. Romaine(Sabine Azema) and Pierre(Pierre Arditi) are a happily married couple whose bliss is only marred by their childlessness. They are joined one evening for dinner by an old friend, Marcel(Andre Dussollier). By the time he departs, he extends an open invitation to the couple to come by and visit him to hear him play the violin. In the next scene, it is Romaine who has done so alone, initiating an affair with Marcel.[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]By the way, Marcel is something of a hypocrite, having terminated a serious relationship in the past because he jealously felt his lover was lying to him. Now, he betrays a close friend in an adulterous affair with his wife, which is by its very nature rooted in lies. [/font]