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DonRocks

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"Tous Les Matins du Monde" is an intense, unrelentingly sad drama based in the mid-late 1600s, involving the life of the great viol de gambe composers Marin Marais, his teacher, Saint-Colombe, and Saint-Colombe's two daughters.

It is a film about loss, longing, wasted lives, and ultimate redemption. However, this film is so unrelentingly intense in its sadness that the "ultimate redemption" is like having an ounce of water after you've crawled out of a desert.

To me, this is one of the greatest movies I've ever seen because the musical aspect resonated with me so deeply; to the average person, probably not as much (I saw this once before, back in the 1990s, and thought the same thing, so my personal life events have nothing to do with my thoughts about the film).

I say, "See it!" But be aware that you're not going to want to go ride roller coasters when it's over. There's no violence, very little sexual innuendo, and nothing graphic; this is just a straight-up, human drama with a ton of character exploration.

Guillaume Depardieu plays the young Marin Marais, while his more famous father plays the older, more decrepit version of same - the transition, while hardly seamless (I mean, this guy is *French*), is just about perfect.

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*** SPOILER ALERT *** (Do not read unless you've seen the film)

Around one-third of the way through the film (after his wife's death, but before meeting Marin Marias), Monsieur de Sainte-Colombe plays his Viol de Gambe, alone, out in his barn, and the viewer gets an otherworldly feeling that de Colombe is playing to summon his deceased wife (note both the camera angle, and the table, which is going to be nearly identical to a Still Life that is yet to be painted) - it's as if his wife will come through the wall:

Screenshot 2017-06-01 at 6.20.31 PM.png

He looks at the wall with anticipation (note his wife on the Viol de Gambe):

Screenshot 2017-06-01 at 6.20.53 PM.png

and indeed, his playing conjures a Visitation:

Screenshot 2017-06-01 at 6.24.37 PM.png

A second time, this time with a broken wafer:

Screenshot 2017-06-01 at 6.55.13 PM.png

And the Visitation is not from his deceased wife, but from a young, and terribly flawed, Marin Marais:

Screenshot 2017-06-01 at 6.57.07 PM.png

Shortly afterwards, the two visit the painter, Lubin Baugin, who paints this still life:

Baugin.jpg

After the death of his daughter, Madeleine, de Sainte-Colombe didn't speak a word, or play his Viol de Gambe, for six months, and in his barn, stares alone at the same wall, without any music, and from a reverse angle, for a third time - note the darkness compared to earlier:

Screenshot 2017-06-01 at 6.30.14 PM.png

And because there is no music, there is no Visitation.

But an older, wiser Marais awaits outside, every evening for the entire six months, hoping to receive a sign:

Screenshot 2017-06-01 at 7.13.29 PM.png

de Colombe plays once again, and the older Marais makes the third Visitation, during which the two play music, both seemingly happy for the first time in the entire film. This time, there was also a broken wafer beforehand, which de Colombe crushed on the floor with his boot (note the intact wafers on the table):

Screenshot 2017-06-01 at 7.07.16 PM.png

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