Peter Bradshaw of the Guardian dismisses Rivette's latest fim, Histoire de Marie et Julien. Philip French in the Observer is equally unimpressed.

In fact, French actually goes Bradshaw one better, esentially disimissing all Rivette's work since "Belle noiseuse". Oh well, I liked it. ;~}

Well, since I listed The Story of Marie and Julien as my favorite film of 2004 in Senses, I must have liked it. From what I've seen, I don't expect anything deep of Bradshaw, just an introduction and some ratings designation. He's a reviewer, not a critic, so his articles are not intended to have a long shelf-life.

I really liked it too, it is probably my favorite Rivette since La Belle Noiseuse (and I am not particularly fan of Béart).

interesting how film criticism in UK newspapers nowadays seem to consist of one paragraph and no more than one dismissive comment without any particular substance.

"Belle noiseuse" (which I like, mind you) is my least favorite Rivette film of the 90s and 00s.

I still haven't seen "Marie and Julien" with subs yet. but that's okay, that just means I have to watch the lovely French DVD along with my wife (who can translate for me when I'm stumped).

Anthology Film Archives in New York is showing 4 rare Rivette films (plus a doc).

From the AFA's website:

JACQUES RIVETTE: FOUR RARE FEATURES

OUT 1: SPECTRE

April 21, 23

1971-72, 255 minutes, 16mm. In French with English subtitles. With Jean-Pierre Léaud, Juliet Berto, Bulle Ogier, Michel Lonsdale, and Bernadette Lafont.

NOTE: Due to the extreme rarity of this film, print quality is not ideal.
"Improvisation sauvage."

For many lovers of film, THE holy grail of cinema-going has long been Rivette's OUT 1: NOLI ME TANGERE, a nearly thirteen-hour intrigue centering on Rivette's central obsessions: conspiracy, community, theater, games and madness. SPECTRE, only slightly less rare, is a refraction or doubling of this project; a condensation, yet totally different, and still itself an epic.

"In spring 1970, Rivette shot approximately thirty hours of improvisation with over three dozen actors. Originally intended to be shown as a TV serial 'in eight episodes lasting an hour and a half each', OUT 1: NOLI ME TANGERE was rejected by the ORTF and never properly released… After it became clear that he could not get this film shown on TV or released theatrically, Rivette spent the better part of a year editing a shorter, quite different film out of this material; which eventually opened in Paris in March 1974.

"SPECTRE begins by pretending to tell us four separate stories at once. We watch two theater groups rehearsing Prometheus Bound (directed by Lonsdale) and Seven Against Thebes (a collective), and also observe Léaud and Berto – two rather crazed and curious loners, each of whom tricks strangers in cafes out of money… Then almost miraculously, in the 36th shot, two of the four 'plots' are brought together: Léaud is suddenly handed a slip of paper by a member of the theater collective. On it is typed a seemingly coded message which he sets out to decipher, along with a subsequent message he receives, following clues provided by references to Balzac's The History of the Thirteen and Lewis Carroll's 'The Hunting of the Snark'. And when Léaud's deductions eventually lead him to a hippy boutique called 'l'Angle du hasard', the 'plot' appreciably thickens: the boutique is run by Ogier, whom we later discover is a friend of both Lonsdale and Michèle Moretti, another member of the collective; and all three are members of the alleged 'Thirteen'…" – Jonathan Rosenbaum

JEAN RENOIR: LE PATRON: CINÉASTES DE NOTRE TEMPS

April 22, 23

1961, 76 minutes, 16mm. In French with English subtitles.
In the third part of this extensive documentary, Rivette and Renoir discuss, at length, the conception and production of Renoir's most celebrated film, THE RULES OF THE GAME.

And coming in June: DUELLE, NOROIT and MERRY-GO-ROUND.

Rivette also featured at London's National Film Theatre with comprehensive retrospective too, including OUT ONE: NOLI ME TANGERE (the first screening in 34 years!)...


Details here

OUT ONE: NOLI ME TANGERE

The first screening in 34 years of Rivette's mammoth masterpiece.

Check out David Thomson on Rivette in today's 'The Guardian'..

A pity it's being shown in NFT2, which must have the most inadequate seating for the taller person in the whole of London; yesterday, I watched Abel Gance's La Roue (what an astonishing and wondrous film!) in NFT2, and, being 6'3, I had to sprawl out in a sideways position to make it through the film's 283 minutes. Lord knows what would become of me after Out One: Noli me tangre's ten hours...

??

There are 2 versions....the longer version is nearly 13 hours, the other version is four. Check the listings for the BFI retro.

The Rivette article from Saturday's Guardian which Cineslob highlighted mentioned that "Céline et Julie vont en bateau" is due for release on May 5th by the bfi. I'm not sure if there's any news on whether or not it will be released on DVD by them ? Maybe my query has already been dealt with in another thread? That article also contained a truly wonderful large still from the film. And what an extraordinary film it is too.

The bfi will be releasing it on DVD later this year.

Thank you peerpee. Great news indeed.

The 13-hour version?

There's a 13-hour version of Céline and Julie Go Boating?

My bad for not reading every post in a thread.....

BFI should really get Rosenbaum to do an essay or video interview for this disc. Has this film ever had a bigger, more enthusiastic, more vocal, or more incessant champion?

WOW!

I've seen Out One: Spectre several times, but long to see the complete Out One: Noli meTangere.It's the most radical experiment in improvisation ever undertaken.

The other rare Rivettes shouldn't be missed either. Duelle and Noroit were two panels ofa projected 4 film series called Scenes de la vie Parallele involving an 'imaginary myth" in which goddess of the Sun and Moon walk among mortals, battling over a mystrious blue jewel that makes immortals mortal and vice versa. Duelle is a film noir. Noroit a pirate adventure (with female pirates) L'Histoire de Marie et Julien was to be the third panel. Rivette shot three days with Leslie caron and Albert Finney then had a nervous breakdwon. The project was shelved and the very strange Merry Go Round -- with Maria Schneider and Joe Dallesandro -- emerged from its ashes. Years later Rivette Ressurrected L'Historie de Marie et Julien with Emmanuelle Beart and Jerzy Radzilowitz. It's one of this best films. Instead of the goddesses the"immortals" are ghosts.

The fourth panel of Scenes was to have been a musical -- hence Haut/Bas/Fragile. But it has no supernatural aspects to it.

It's the most radical experiment in improvisation ever undertaken.

On what basis do you make this assessment? How was the film put together?

I've heard many accolades for this film but little description of it--perhaps because so few have been able to see it more than once.

I can't help but think that the film's elusive status has driven certain critics to make outsized claims for it.

The actors created their own characters pretty much from the ground up. Rivette supplied only a general scenario idea inspired by Balzac's Histoire des 13. This is quite different from Cassavetes filsm, which were scripted but only semi-improvised. Warhol's middle period films, particularly *** (Four Stars) comes closest.

There is only the one 3-hour version of CELINE AND JULIE GO BOATING. The films that are referred to in the thread are earlier Rivette films, OUT 1: NOLI ME TANGERE, and OUT 1: SPECTRE. NOLI ME TANGERE is the full, 13-hour version of OUT 1; it has rarely been screened. The more widely available version (the only version to reach videotape) is OUT 1: SPECTRE. SPECTRE is four hours long. It is, from what I have been able to gather, mostly a condensed version of the longer film, with certain alternate takes substituted (a bit of a precursor to LA BELLE NOUISIE/DIVERTIMENTO).

A BFI CELINE AND JULIE would be incredible. A DVD set of OUT 1 would be staggering. Anyone think it's possible?

Rivette often spoke of video being the ideal form for the complete Out One .

I'd rather see Duelle or Noroit (both of which played in NYC 10 or so years ago) or Merry Go Round on DVD, frankly. And if it's taken this long for Celine to get a DVD, I wouldn't hold my breath for Out One.

IMDb has a listing for Rivette's next film.

Fantastic!

Ophuls had hoped to make La Duchesse de Langeais as a comeback vehicle for Garbo. Screen tests were shot (which can be seen on the new Garbo box set) but the film died in "development."

Early Jacques Rivette

Does anyone know if anyone is planning on releases any of his earlier work?

I was really entranced when i saw "La Religieuse" at the NFT recently and was hoping for future DVD releases of his earlier films such as that one, "L'amour Fou", "Paris Nous Appartient" and maybe even a region 2 releases of "Celine and Julie go Boating". Ah well, wishful thinking maybe. If anyone knows of anything do let me know

...if you went to this strand rather than starting your own you would find the bfi are planning an UK R2 DVD of Celine & Julie later this year...