Juliet Berto and Dominique Labourier in "Céline et Julie vont en Bateau" [1974 France]

The headline might sound a bit disrespectful, but it is this film's very virtue - and the ride, actually quite joyful. Jacques Rivette's ingenius "Céline et Julie vont en Bateau" [Eng. Title: Celine and Julie go Boating] explores the art of storytelling by blurring, and at times obfuscating traditional narrative altogether, by taking us on a trip through the surreal world of the protagonists during a balmy Parisian summer. It is also Rivette's most successful international hit to date.

Storyline:
It's doubtful if I can do it justice, but shall give it a try...
Brushing up on her magic spells at a park, librarian Julie (Dominique Labourier) is distracted by a passing young woman - Céline (Juliet Berto), absent-mindedly dropping a trail of paraphernalia from her overflowing handbag. Julie, intrigued by the woman who appears to be in some kind of hurry, picks them up and follows Céline, which takes the shape of a flirtatious pursuit across the streets of Paris, amidst puzzled onlookers. They will soon become close friends, possibly more, even developing a kind of telepathic bond between them. Together, they embark on investigating the mystery surrounding a nearby mansion and its hitherto occupants, by taking turns in venturing inside. When either of them pass through the door, it shuts behind on its own, but upon leaving the mansion, they strangely loose all memory of what they saw inside; the only remnant of their visit is their dazed expression, and a boiled sweet in their mouth. They realise that the sweet, while it lasts, also helps them recollect fragments of what went on when they were inside, but not quite enough to reconstruct the full story, despite repeat visits, where the same drama with differently nuanced performances are played out during every visit (like shows in a theatre play).

What they do remember is that once inside, they turn into one of the characters - a nurse, employed to care for 'Madlyn', the child of the master of the house. It is not until they decide to pay a visit together, with the help of some 'baby dinosaur eye-rings', that they begin to piece together a tragic unfolding melodrama, where 'Madlyn' is in mortal danger from some relatives of the household. They try to thwart the murder and rescue 'Madlyn' using various means. Towards the end of the film, we'll see that they have come full-circle, ready to embark on the adventure once again...

This, of course, is just part of the storyline - at over three hours, there are numerous other moments thrown into the film paying homage to different genre - from romance to family melodrama, and from murder mystery to farcical comedy, it is a celebration of cinema and its magic itself. Rivette, as he often does, explores the film medium in relationship with other art forms - in this instance, theatre. He firmly believes in cinema's roots in theatre, and it is underscored repetitively using various traditional theatrical elements, like the on-stage cues, exits, and the repeat performances themselves - likening them to rehearsals. There is also referral to audience reactions upon leaving a theatre or cinema after a matinee - momentarily dazed, by being ushered back into the real world. Not to mention how some shows might require repeat viewings from the audience to 'get the full picture', is also illustrated succinctly through the screenplay itself.

In addition to this, we get to see Rivette indulging in what he enjoys most, the film-making process itself, as opposed to the finished product. Using minimal edits, exquisite cinematography, evocative score, and the enchanting, albeit slightly kooky protagonists, he promises us a pleasurable boating experience, full of grace, beauty, and warmth, through a Parisian summer stunningly timestamped with its gorgeous 1970's wardrobe. But despite taking us for a ride for the most part, Jacques Rivette, nevertheless delivers, and in style! But the film is also as much a creation of Rivette as it is of the two principal actresses - Godard-regular Juliet Berto (sadly deceased) and Dominique Labourier, playing the eponymous roles respectively, and who practically created the characters themselves by drawing references from various literary sources like Lewis Carroll and Henry James. They indulge in improvisation too, like in the scene where Céline makes up a tall tale for her bewildered friends about the 'American celebrity' she's recently moved in with. This gem of a film is utterly charming while also showcasing the sheer magic of cinema and theatre - it is Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon BFI 2-DVD-set [PAL]
This is a sumptuous and super-value 2-DVD set from BFI UK - the first DVD is the film itself, while the second DVD includes an insightful interview from Jonathan Romney on Rivette, and also has a brilliant documentary about the Bibliothèque Nationale called "All the World's Memory" by the Alain Resnais.

 

The Nudity: Juliet Berto and Dominique Labourier
There is a scene of Céline (Juliet Berto) making up one of her tall stories while in the shower, while a bemused Julie (Dominique Labourier) eggs her along. There is also brief, if unintended nudity from Ms. Labourier, trying to scrub off a stain in the shower.



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Reflections on Jacques Rivette's "La Belle Noiseuse" [1991 France]

Jacques Rivette is one of the very few nouvelle vague directors who is impossible to pigeon-hole - he has consistently experimented with cinema using different genres, techniques, and narratives, embodying the true spirit of French New Wave itself.

At first glance, his epic four-hour "La Belle Noiseuse" appears to follow an artist's journey through the course of a painting. Which it nevertheless does, in exquisite detail. It explores artist Frenhofer's quest for capturing the essence of his subject - 'La belle noiseuse' loosely translates as 'the beautiful troublemaker', alluding to a late medieval French courtesan who was coined the aforementioned epithet. A quest that also cannot be carried out alone - the artist needs to discover it through his model, and hence a journey that they should together undertake. The film also delves into the artist's frame of mind, his dilemmas, and moral compulsions - he is after all also justifying a purpose, after his agent persuades him to restart a painting that he'd already given up ten years earlier. The last time he pursued it with his wife as model, in his words, "it was either the painting or my marriage - I chose the latter". He hasn't painted since.

The chosen model, Marriane, girlfriend of a young artist and admirer of Frenhofer, agrees to pose for the resumed project reluctantly at first, but her indignant and cocooned self is subsequently forced open through her sittings for Frenhofer. And along with her inhibitions, Marriane also begins to shed her earlier preconceived notions and denials - she begins to feel liberated, which will inevitably also influence decisions in her personal life henceforth. Frenhofer will also conceive through Marriane his 'La belle noiseuse', and it will turn out to be an image that no one expected, nor even wanted to see...

Frenhofer rigorously working through his drawings - as fascinating as it is to watch, does get a bit tedious after a while, and Marriane's contortionist poses in the nude also lose its novelty rather quickly. If a film had meandered along for four hours by emphasising repetitively what has already been implied before, just to tell a story, one might be forgiven for considering it pretentious. But thankfully, that is not Rivette's main goal in the film. Rivette himself is the artist here and like Frenhofer, is going through several raw sketches of his own to understand his subject, which is also the same as Frenhofer's. It is Rivette using film as his sketchbook and canvas. In just the same way that Frenhofer's final creation is not of great interest to him save the creative journey itself (even the audience don't get to see the finished painting), what Rivette had captured through acres of film is less important to him than the film making process itself. That doesn't mean he didn't really care what he shot - far from it, every shot is thoughtfully chosen, every nuance captured with Rivette's customary attention to detail, and every actor (including the cat) make a perfectly orchestrated entrance. Rivette might just as well be the film's Frenhofer squeezing the soul out of his models, forcing them to strike testing poses, and pushing them as much as he's pushing himself. A clue to his intentions is in the way he keeps reminding us that we are watching something that is being 'filmed'! Not only do we often watch from a viewpoint that doesn't belong to any of the protagonists, we even get to see parts of the filming equipment from time to time, and also some visibly apparent improvisations with dialogue - we are watching the film 'being made'.

This is where the "shorter" version of the film released a year later, "La belle Noiseuse - Divertimento" requires mentioning. When I suggested above that Rivette has used film as his sketchbook and canvas, it wasn't my being spoilt for choice between two words for completing a sentence as sometimes is the case - if "La Belle Noiseuse" is the sketchbook, Rivette's "La Belle Noiseuse - Divertimento" is his finished canvas. In the latter, not only do we see the seemingly repetitive elements/strokes removed, it also incorporates the most ideal film compositions for advancing the narrative, the best takes in terms of acting, and the ideal marriage of visuals and dialogues, all coming together to give us a more 'complete' cinema experience. A typical example is in the passage of play relating to Frenhofer's usage of the earlier unfinished painting as canvas for the new painting - while the earlier work's defacement is shown explicitly and also argued over in depth by his wife in the longer version, the shorter version gets the same message across using the argument alone with barely a hint of the unfinished painting's defacement.

In terms of performance, Michel Piccoli as Frenhofer is the artist himself - to the effect that when I first viewed this film some fifteen years ago, I thought Mr. Piccoli was an accomplished painter himself. An artist's restlessness and self-centred quest for the unknown is vividly brought to life by one of the finest actors in French cinema. This was also the first of many collaborations between an up-and-coming Emmanuelle Béart and Jacques Rivette - one that will stand the test of time. Ms. Béart fits into her character like a glove, and brings forth the vulnerability and confusion of her character hitherto hidden beneath her tough exterior with aplomb.

Among the films of Jacques Rivette that I've had the pleasure to see, this may not be my absolute favourite - that'll be my next Rivette, but "La belle noiseuse" still has its unique charms and is worthy of mention in his remarkable body of work. Borrowing the analogy of films to artworks and how masterpieces are looked at in general, while the longer version (with transitional sketches) is for the connoisseur, the shorter version (finished and framed canvas) is for the enthusiast. We have a choice - both may be the same film, but are distinctive nevertheless, and Highly Recommended Viewing..!

Amazon DVD Link (Longer version)
This is a beautiful Artificial Eye 3-Disc release with one whole disc dedicated to interviews and behind-the-scenes footage.

Amazon DVD Link (Abridged version)
Again from Artificial Eye, this excellent 3-Disc box-set titled The French Collection Volume 4 - Emmanuelle Béart features two other brilliant films of Ms. Béart - Les Témoins, and Histoire de Marie et Julien, both already reviewed in the blog. Three classics from two great directors - now that's value for money.

 

Compilation: Emmanuelle Béart and Michel Piccoli
Enhanced to 720p, this special film is certainly worth the effort, me thinks.



Scene Guide:

• Marianne isn't too pleased to learn that her boyfriend had already agreed on her behalf to pose for veteran artist Frenhofer's forthcoming masterpiece. Marianne is magnificently played by the beautiful and expressive Emmanuelle Béart.
• Marianne's first nervous session with Frenhofer, played by one of Europe's finest actors, Michel Piccoli.
• A sampler-collage taken from different scenes to give an indication of the growing trust and bond between artist and model.

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Emmanuelle Béart in "Histoire de Marie et Julien" [2003 France, Italy]

Jacques Rivette is definitely one of the influential directors of the Nouvelle Vague, even if he's probably lesser known than the likes of Godard and Chabrol outside of France. His style is telling a story through observation - you get to know the characters through a series of vignettes performing seemingly mundane and sometimes repetitive tasks. Consequently his films tend to be long, sometimes stretching into several hours, and demands a greater attention span from its audience. Dreams and visions are one of his frequently explored themes. I wouldn't call his style experimental, but one can say with certainty that he will spare little time for those less informed.

But he is also a fine example of how great directors themselves draw inspiration from others, in his case from all over the world including Hollywood greats such as Otto Preminger and Alfred Hitchcock. Like Rohmer and Roeg, he didn't start making feature films until after many years in the industry, and had worked under legends like Renoir and Becker before venturing out on his own.

I'll start Rivette's filmography here with one of his later films, the fantasy drama "Histoire de Marie et Julien" [Eng. Title: The Story of Marie and Julien], one that was also in gestation for close to three decades. In an insightful interview among the DVD extras, he describes the extent to which his lead actors influenced not only the screenplay, but the script as well - his original plan had Leslie Caron and Albert Finney play the lead roles, but took on a different shape when Emmanuelle Béart and Jerzy Radziwilowicz were finally cast for the production. Ms. Béart too explains her input into the characterisation. While it is a fine film that rewards one with patience, this isn't actually my favourite Rivette. This is also one for Emmanuelle Béart completists. But if you're a die-hard Rivette enthusiast, the film is Highly Recommended Viewing..!




Recommended Amazon DVD Link
This was taken from my Artificial Eye "French Collection" box-set 4, focussing on Emmanuelle Béart. While it also includes Rivette and Béart's previous collaboration "La Belle Noiseuse", you must bear in mind that it is the abridged version - half the length of its original four hour run-time, but also the version I most enjoyed.




Storyline:
If revenants speaking in Gaelic are your thing, this is pretty much up your alley. Julien, a middle aged clocksmith keeps dreaming about a woman he met a while ago, Marie - she was with a boyfriend at the time. But Marie has died since and suddenly reappears to embark on a sensual relationship with Julien. For all intents and purposes, she's real, save the tiny detail that she can't or won't shed a tear nor bleed when cut, even if she could obtain physical orgasm in full flow. An ideal scenario, a man might think - an attractive woman who doesn't complain (cry) nor need taking care of (cottonwoolled), but one readily available for sexual pleasure. Until this pesky little thing called 'love' creeps in. And when Julien learns the fate of the 'real' Marie, one or the other has to crossover to the other side to stay together. Who will it be - Julien, or Marie? Only time will tell...




Compilation: Emmanuelle Béart



Scene Guide:

• Marie is always the one with the initiative, and Julien the willing participant. Marie is played by an intense Emmanuelle Béart.
• There's not much nudity here - just a long conversation piece where they describe together a sensual dream. So I left the subtitles on for this scene to save time describing.
• More sensual dream-sharing between Marie and Julien, seemingly somewhere from the Celtic period.

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