A Lush ‘Sunday in the Country’ Pleases the Palette

Director Bertrand Tavernier gave “A Sunday in the Country” a painterly look--his palette of lush, earthy colors set off scenes that are carefully composed with people and their environments.

It’s a calculated and telling approach that reverberates from the central character, an old painter whose life is taken up as much by nostalgia as it is by the artist’s urge to create. Tavernier’s cunning is in getting us to sense art in visual terms while dwelling on the human drama that unfolds.

If “A Sunday in the Country,” which begins Golden West College’s spring “International Films” series tonight, seems too quiet, even spiritless at the outset, don’t be misled.

This delicate 1984 film is more than surface elegance: The story of Monsieur Ladmiral (Louis Ducreux) and his interactions with family members who come to visit one summer day reveal the subtle dynamics of that family and much about the forces that have shaped Ladmiral as a painter.

Based on Pierre Bost’s novel, the screenplay, by Tavernier and his wife, Colo, develops the relationships as the day goes on. First to arrive is the septuagenarian’s son, Edouard (Michel Aumont), his wife and their children. The movie shows how little Edouard, despite his attentiveness, really affects Ladmiral.

Ladmiral’s real devotion is to daughter Irene (Sabine Azema), a vivacious charmer who contrasts with the dutiful (and more boring) Edouard. Ladmiral’s portrait of Irene gives the first indication that she’s the more beloved child, and Ladmiral does nothing to hide his adoration as the film goes on. He becomes more alive in her presence, and he’s grateful for that. We learn about Ladmiral through his responses to both children.

Besides revealing the tensions, both big and small, that are central to any family, “A Sunday in the Country” intriguingly considers the changes in art during the era. Ladmiral is a classicist with a formal approach, but he is fully aware of the revolution taking place with painters such as Cezanne, Monet and other Impressionists.

His holding on to what would soon become an antiquated style--against the complaints of Irene, who embraces the new art--helps define him as someone who was wary of change. In the end, though, Ladmiral sides with Irene, offering an olive branch to the next generation of younger, more fearless artists.

Bertrand Tavernier’s “A Sunday in the Country” screens tonight at 7:30 in Golden West College’s Forum II theater, 15744 Golden West St., Huntington Beach. Tickets: $3 and $3.50. Information: (714) 891-3991.

THE SERIES

Golden West College’s ‘International Films’:

Today: Bertrand Tavernier’s “A Sunday in the Country,” (France, 1984).

March 13: Michael Cacoyannis’ “Elektra,” (Greece, 1963). Depicts the ancient Greek tragedy.

March 20: Bernardo Bertolucci’s “Tragedy of a Ridiculous Man” (Italy, 1981), starring Ugo Tognazzi and Anouk Aimee.

March 27: Marc Allegret’s “Zouzou,” (France, 1934), starring Josephine Baker and Jean Gabin.

All movies screen at 7:30 p.m. at the college’s Forum II theater, 15744 Golden West St., Huntington Beach. Tickets: $3 and $3.50. Information: (714) 891-3991.