La Belle noiseuse (1991) - film review

A young Parisian artist, Nicolas, arrives in provincial France with his girlfriend, Marianne, to visit a reclusive, once great artist, Edouard Frenhofer.  Nicholas and his art dealer Porbus persuade Frenhofer to complete his last great painting, La Belle Noiseuse , with Marianne as his model.  When she finds out she has been bartered in this way, Marianne is furious, but realises she can repay Nicholas in kind by accepting the contract. Frenhofer’s wife, Liz, also begins to resent what has happened, but then she was the original model for the painting...

A subtle yet unmistakably dark study in obsession and an individual’s search for identity, La Belle noiseuse is one of Jacques Rivette’s most remarkable films.  Whilst it may not be to everyone’s taste, mainly because of its length (most of Rivette’s films tend to be overlong), the film has the unmistakable sign of genius about it.   It won widespread critical acclaim on its release in 1991, when it won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.

By focusing on a very small group of people, all of whom have major personal crises to contend with, Rivette manages to craft an intensely perceptive study which is as much about human relationships as about the need to find self-expression through art.

The film’s primary focus is the imperative in each individual to achieve truth, no matter how painful that may be.  It ends with a somewhat ambiguous message that whilst some may follow this truth to achieve a better life, others may be compelled to sacrifice it, either through lack of courage or simply in the best interests of decency.

Those that are fascinated by painting will find this a captivating film, because it manages to capture with painful lucidity the anguish of an artist struggling to express his creative thoughts on canvas.  Part of this process is the quite brutal interaction between the artist and his model, magnificently recreated by Michel Piccoli and Emmanuelle Béart , two of France’s finest actors in what is quite possibly among their best film roles.  This is high drama, with some disturbing moments of psychological tension, although Rivette’s somewhat languid style manages to soften the conflict somewhat.

Perhaps conscious that not everyone would find the film in its full four hour run palatable, Rivette made a shorter version of the film,  La Belle noiseuse: divertimento, which runs two just two hours.  This is probably the version that would appeal to the wider cinema audience: it contains all the essential ingredients of the longer film and conveys the same impressions, albeit in a more concise way.  One thing that is lacking from this shorter version is the abject sense of frustration of the artist Frenhofer as he struggles to re-ignite his creative passion.  For those who seek a truer depiction of the artist’s viewpoint, the longer film is highly recommended.

© James Travers 2002

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