ABSTRACT
From Truffaut's ‘A Certain Tendency of the French Cinéma’ (1954) to Rivette's ‘On Abjection’ (1961), the inseparability of ethics and aesthetics has been a key assumption of the politique des auteurs from the outset. This chapter aims to demonstrate that even before the politique existed, Eric Rohmer decisively laid the basis for the eventual affirmation of this inseparability. To this end, it traces the conceptual constellation (adumbrated in many of his film reviews) underlying Rohmer's view of cinématic ethics and aesthetics, including his reaction against Sartre's mauvaise foi, the notion of solitude morale, Kant's practical reason, and, finally, his conviction that cinéma should draw inspiration from classical tragedy.
