Film Review
Despite its length at over three hours, this is one of French New Wave director Jacques
Rivette's most popular films, and even today it retains a strong cult following.
The film's distinguishing points are its bewildering, almost Buñuelesque, surrealism,
widespread use of improvisation (a common feature of the New Wave films) and a tireless
sense of outlandish fun. Along with the director's subsequent
Duelle (une quarantaine) (1976)
and
Merry-Go-Round (1981),
it is one of Rivette's most mystical and beguiling films.
Rivette takes an evident delight in puzzling his audience with his story within a story, which he shows out of
sequence and repeatedly from various angles, creating something which resembles a vicious
parody of the whodunnit genre.
Around this central strand, he employs a number of other devices to hook the viewer and create some background to the characters Céline
and Julie, who are brilliantly played by Juliet Berto and Dominique Labourier.
A possible flaw with this film is that it contains just too many ideas, most of which are not developed enough
to be fully satisfying. Rivette has a tendency to dwell too long on a particular
theme and then to suddenly move on to something very different rather than attempting
to create a more even flow. This feature of Rivette's cinema is certainly evident
in this film. Whilst some viewers will doubtless feel that this adds to the charm
of the film, others may find the film unwatchable as a consequence.
© James Travers 2001
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.
Next Jacques Rivette film:
Duelle (une quarantaine) (1976)
Film Synopsis
It is in a park in Paris that Julie, a shy librarian, first makes the acquaintance
of Céline, a stage magician. Intrigued by the other woman, Julie
follows her around the city until she loses sight of her. They meet
up again and, despite their differences, they agree to live together in Julie's
apartment. Céline likes to tell tall stories and recalls a strange
experience she had when she once came across a boarded up old house in a
quiet part of Paris. Intrigued by what she has heard, Julie also pays
a visit to the same house and has exactly the same set of experiences.
The two women end up making repeated trips to an alternative universe where
they are the housemaid to a wealthy widower, Olivier, and the two mysterious
women he lives with - Sophie and Camille. It seems that both of these
women are madly in love with Olivier but he cannot marry either of them because
he has made a solemn vow to his wife on her deathbed that he would remain
single whilst his daughter was still alive. When they learn, to their
horror, that Olivier's eight-year-old daughter has been killed, Céline
and Julie decide to investigate the murder...
© James Travers
The above content is owned by filmsdefrance.com and must not be copied.