Eric Rohmer-La Carrière de Suzanne (1963)

Bertrand bides his time in a casually hostile and envious friendship with college chum Guillaume. But when ladies’ man Guillaume seems to be making a play for the spirited, independent Suzanne, Bertrand watches bitterly with disapproval and jealousy. With its ragged black-and-white 16mm photography and strong sense of 1960s Paris, Rohmer’s second Moral Tale is a wonderfully evocative portrait of youthful naiveté and the complicated bonds of friendship and romance. Criterion




In the second of Rohmer's moral tales, he examines the relationship between two friends and a girl who at first appears easily exploited. It is a complex tale of feelings and misconceptions, acted out within the head of the main character, as part of Rohmer's attempt to more easily simulate the mindscape quality of literature within a film. (http://imdb.com/title/tt0056910/plotsummary)




"Suzanne's Profession" expands to over 50 minutes to explore the awkward triangle between two best friends and a generous, seductive young woman they both shamelessly take advantage of. The men are callow, the women rather exasperating, the talk isn't as enchanting as in later films--and the ending feels, in retrospect, like an early draft of My Night at Maud's with the roles reversed. If his later films are more compelling and assured, the ambiguity of relationships and mercenary behavior of the characters in this early effort reveal a harsh cynicism that later mellowed into a wry irony. (--Sean Axmaker - Editorial Reviews - Amazon.com)




In Suzanne's Career, the 54-minute second film of Rohmer's group of Six Moral Tales, two friends, both students at a local university, vie for the affections of Suzanne (Catherine See). Guillame (Christian Charriere) is the more aggressive and the most manipulative but Bertrand (Phillipe Beuzen) goes along with his schemes and his character is not beyond blemish. Both scheme to have Suzanne pay for their good times and ignore her at parties to make her jealous while telling each other how they detest her. (http://imdb.com/title/tt0056910/usercomments)




There is a great deal of narration in the film and we are privy to Bertrand's thoughts and feelings as he sorts out for himself what is right and what is wrong. Suzanne is sweet but seemingly rather passive and easily exploited and we root for her to assert herself, and in typical Rohmer style we don't have to wait very long. This is a lovely film and, though it goes on a bit too long in pursuing its resolution, the ending is deliciously satisfying. (http://imdb.com/title/tt0056910/usercomments)