Every viewer - and especially every reviewer - runs into them now and then: the movies that you want to like, that you have every reason to like... but that in fact you don't particularly care for. The French film Tout les Matins du Monde (All the Mornings of the World), a loving tribute to the power of music, is one such.

The similarly music-themed Amadeus and The Red Violin count among my favorite films; why not Tout les Matins du Monde? Fans of the latter film would argue that in fact it's superior to the two films that I mentioned liking. The essay by film critic Robert Horton, included in a booklet with the DVD, takes a swipe at Amadeus by commenting that "if Amadeus has a Mozartian eagerness to entertain, Tout les matins is as discreet and subtle as its master." The point, of course, is that Amadeus is indeed a lot more entertaining than Tout les matins; it's only by taking an elitist "if you enjoy it, it can't be real art" point of view that Tout les matins can be held up as superior.

Tout les Matins du Monde takes the form of an extended flashback by an aging master of the viol, Marais (Gerard Depardieu), who recounts much of the life of composer Sainte Colombe. As a young man (played in the film by Gerard Depardieu's son Guillaume), Marais seeks out Sainte Colombe as a teacher, and ends up having a complicated and tense relationship with Sainte Colombe and his two daughters as well.

The film is not, however, really about any of this. As far as I can determine, the film is about the true nature of music. Sainte Colombe apparently understands it, and his talented protege Marais doesn't. Everything seems to revolve around the question of what music truly is, or is not. Unfortunately, this philosophical issue, though no doubt emotionally significant to the characters, does not come across as even remotely interesting to the viewer. (I will concede that if you are a serious musician yourself, you will probably find this aspect of the film much more interesting than I did, as someone who merely enjoys listening to it.)

If Tout les Matins du Monde had followed through on the conflicts that are so briefly touched on here, the film could have been quite interesting. Take, for instance, the fact that Marais goes off to have a successful career in the royal court, while Sainte Colombe shuts himself up in his rural cabin and composes music that he doesn't share with anyone: Sainte Colombe considers this as evidence that he is a genius and Marais is a hack. Or consider Sainte Colombe's strange relationship with his daughters; he's borderline abusive to them (and is certainly emotionally distant), yet he introduces them to the joys of his music... while keeping them hidden away on his rural estate, so they have no life of their own or any way to continue working with music. Or consider the question of Sainte Colombe's sanity; he does, after all, see his dead wife, something that's presented so matter-of-factly in the film that it becomes merely peculiar rather than interesting. I'll add that very little actual acting performance happens here. Gerard Depardieu (who is present in relatively little of the film) offers a matter-of-fact voiceover that fills us in on all the relevant details, leaving nothing for us to really think about.

In the end, the film is simply about music and the struggle to understand the nature of true musical genius. The filmmakers, having chosen not to develop their ideas with such mundane techniques as interesting characters or a strong narrative, are left with presenting the theme in an almost abstract manner.

The music itself is the one real point in the film's favor. The score includes the real works of Marais and Sainte Colombe, performed and conducted by the acclaimed Jordi Savall. If you are an aficionado of 17th century French viol music (or, indeed, of classical music in general), then the music of Tout les Matins du Monde will be of great interest... but I'd say that you're better off just picking up the CD soundtrack of the film. That way, you'll get the enjoyment of the music, without having to deal with the badly paced, weirdly mystical, and ultimately rather directionless film that accompanies it.

The DVD

Tout les Matins du Monde is a two-disc set, packaged in a single-wide keepcase.

Video

The 1991 film is presented here in a digitally restored transfer, widescreen and anamorphically enhanced. While the back of the case states that it's in the 1.66:1 aspect ratio, in fact it appears to be presented in the 1.85:1 ratio. The French subtitles are optional. The image quality is good; the picture is a bit soft, but is usually very clean, with just a touch of grain at times. Colors are warm, with light and shadow coming across nicely.

Audio

The French Dolby 5.1 track presents a clear, clean listening experience that conveys the music effectively, though without a whole lot of surround effect. A French Dolby 2.0 soundtrack is also included. Pleasingly, the French subtitles are optional.

Extras

The second disc of the set contains a number of special features, all in French with permanent English subtitles. There's a "play all" feature, but you can also choose to select the individual features.

The disc opens with a ten-minute "Making of" featurette that provides a brief overview of the filmmaking process; there's nothing dramatic here. The interview with director Alain Corneau lasts only a minute; a two-minute interview clip with conductor/performer Jordi Savall is likewise fairly shallow. A television interview with Jean-Pierre Marielle (Sainte Colombe) is only slightly more substantial, at five minutes. Wrapping up these minor features is the original French theatrical trailer. The one really substantial feature is a 50-minute documentary on Jordi Savall, called "In Search of Perfect Sound." Here we get an in-depth look at the man who brought the music to life in Tout les Matins du Monde. Viewers who are particularly interested in the music of the film will find this to be the most worthwhile of the special features.

Final thoughts

Tout les Matins du Monde is a barely watchable film if you are looking for an interesting period piece with a musical theme; it may be much more compelling if what you're looking for is a philosophical look at characters struggling to find the true meaning of music. In either case, the main point to recommend Tout les Matins du Monde is the classical music, which is presented with attention to historical accuracy as well as quality of performance. I will suggest it as a rental for classical music enthusiasts only. Rent it.