Flick Review < Le rayon vert (The Green Ray) | Eric Rohmer, 1986

Le rayon vert (The Green Ray), 1986
released as Summer in North America

Directed by Éric Rohmer
Scenario Marie Rivière & Éric Rohmer *
Cinematography Sophie Maintigneux
Editing Maria-Luisa Garcia

* Much of the dialogue is improvised.

It is named for the novel of the same name by Jules Verne. According to Verne, when one sees
a rare green flash at sunset, one’s own thoughts and those of others are revealed as if by magic.

Green flashes and green rays are rare optical phenomena that occur shortly after sunset or before sunrise, when a green spot is visible for a short period of time above the sun, or a green ray shoots up from the sunset point. It is usually observed from a low altitude where there is an unobstructed view of the horizon, such as on the ocean.

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