Jacques Rivette

[domino harvey]

Merry Christmas: the extended version of Va savoir now has subs on backchannels

[furbicide]

Hallelujah!

[Michael Kerpan]

I wonder if the extended Va savoir will ever get a commercial release?

[beamish14]

Merry Christmas: the extended version of Va savoir now has subs on backchannels

If anyone can drop me a PM, I’d love to get a disc of this!

[domino harvey]

I wonder if the extended Va savoir will ever get a commercial release?

There’s a 1080p rip via some country’s Amazon streaming, so an HD version exists. Sony might still have the rights in the US to any version though

[JSC]

Secret Defense on March 14 from Cohen.

https://kinolorber.com/product/secret-defense

[dadaistnun]

Lol, my copy of the Potemkin edition arrived today. So if Cohen corrects the "fade to black" issue (highly unlikely, I know), you're welcome!

[pzadvance]

Wow, love how they’re cranking these out now

[therewillbeblus]

Revisited Va Savoir vis the longer cut. The first hour really dragged, and I almost turned it off thinking I’d hate it as much as I did the truncated version, but the cumulative vibe started to gel shortly into its second hour and I wound up really enjoying what Rivette was doing here. What becomes apparent in the end of even the short version is that Rivette is playing with screwball devices, but the original rhythm destroyed the necessary breathing room Rivette depends upon to aesthetically craft his intentions. It may read as oxymoronic, but in holding space for a tone to develop, the long cut flies by effortlessly starting in its second hour whereas the short cut never escaped its curious condensing of ideas to ascend beyond a slog. There was no reason to buy in when economy usurped a lucid flow, but here the comedy and drama finally blend and trade off well together. The moods are inserted inside Russian dolls storytelling and labyrinthine webs of extremely banal mysteries, even by Rivette’s standards. The joke seems to be in dissipating the mirage of rich gravitas present in his other work to focus more on a Woody Allen-esque sheen of light whimsical spirit. It's among his very best films, but it does feel like the logical endpoint for his epic anti-mysteries, especially after he pushed the boundaries of his ethos into an entirely new genre of musical and then obliterated his anti-paranoia with a tangible answer in Secret Defense. It's much like how Woody Allen recalibrated all his past works' tropes and motifs into a diluted piece of lovely fluff in A Rainy Day in New York, as an old man therapeutically approaching the same content and concerns he's addressed throughout his career with a developed serenity from self-actualization. I thought Va Savoir played entirely differently with its extra third put back in place, and highly recommend anyone with access gives it another go when you have four hours to spare

[Michael Kerpan]

I just hope this gets an authorized release.

Longer is better (and feels shorter in consequence) was definitely the case for me with Belle Noiseuse -- so it is easy to imagine this is true for Va savoir as well.

[lazarus]

Hey folks, longtime lurker/Rivette fan here. Finally registered to inquire about this Va Savoir+ extended cut. Thanks to everyone who has reported about it so far, you're doing the Lord's work.

Is this something only available on KG? Haven't had luck finding it anywhere else, maybe my search skills have diminished over the years, I don't know. Certainly not appearing on TPB or Demon or any of those places. And my KG account hasn't been active in like 15 years so I won't be getting back in there anytime soon.

In interest of an introduction, I'll share a little anecdote which some here might get a kick out of. Back in 2012, I was about to commence production on my first feature film (heavily Rivette-influenced), and decided to take an overdue trip to Paris beforehand for inspiration. As luck would have it, the Cinématheque was in the midst of a Bulle Ogier retrospective, which obviously included a lot of Rivette titles. Despite only knowing an elementary amount of French, I decided to check out the screening of Out 1: Spectre, as at that time the only thing available from that production was the old TV rip with burned-in Italian subs of the longer cut that was floating around the internet.

During the intermission, the Cinématheque rep who had introduced the film came back out to say some more words which I didn't understand, but then said something along the lines of "Le Magicien, Monsieur Jacques" and proceeded to point to an elderly man sitting directly in front of me, who to my shock turned out to be Rivette himself, the audience gave him a round of applause. I had recently read rumors that he was suffering from Alzheimers's, but knowing how often he went to see films, I guess I shouldn't be too surprised. There was an older woman with him who I assumed was his then-wife. Seeing the second half of Spectre was a considerably more interesting and emotional experience, thinking about it through the eyes of this legend, who hopefully was recognizing people on screen while battling with his fading memory, including those no longer with us like Juliet Berto, Rohmer, etc.

Anyway, I felt my own endeavor had been blessed in some way as a result of this proximity, and while I suspect for Parisians this sighting may not have been so uncommon, for an American it was really something unthinkable to have shared space with such a major figure in my cinephelia.

**

Hopefully that story is worth some info on this new Va Savoir cut! Any tips or leads appreciated either here in the thread or via DM.

[Michael Kerpan]

Lucky you, getting to see Rivette himself!

[soundchaser]

Yes, very cool story — thanks for sharing!

I’ll PM you tomorrow if no one else has by then. Just have to get to my computer first.

[hearthesilence]

That's amazing, and thank heavens you went to see it despite your limited French!

[Stefan]

Rivette memories ... they all linger on. Here is another one: It is January 1st 1991, I am in Paris and feel extremely close to his cinema, actually I am in the middle of its special kind of magic and just had seen "L'amour fou" two times on the same day (PLUS "About the souffle" and "The River" - in no other town this has ever been possible). After an overslept turn of the year in a nondescript hotel I decide that I want to go and see THE MAN HIMSELF if possible in life and on the streets. So I go, not for the first time, to the rather faceless multistory appartment house on Boulevard de la Bastille where Rivette had been living then since the 1970's (his address was still in the phone book at that time). I sit in the drizzling cold on a bench a few metres away and wait for the unlikely occasion for Rivette to show up. It must be 7 PM or something. And what happens, after a little while? The glassy entrance door opens and a short, swift and immediately reconizable man in a long overcoat shows up and goes (or rather spurts) down the street. I walk (or run) after him, street after street, after street. After a while I notice that he must have noticed since he walks even faster now, not taking notice of any red traffic lights (I guess that he, a "Proto"-Parisian since his 20's, had never acted differently). Eventually he enters the Garde de Lyon and I follow at some distance. He still looks cautiously around and goes to a newspaper kiosk and orders "Le Monde" (did the paper really had an edition on January 1st or was it one from the day before?, I never knew). Anyway, in order not to appear ALL TOO obtrusive I stay farther behind than before, have a lasting look around the - at that time still beautiful - train station and eventually, sadly and forever, lose sight of him. As I turn my eyes back to where he stood I cannot see him anymore. And that was that, my little wild chase regarding Jacques Rivette. Later the next year, at the Berlinale, I see "OUT 1 - NOLI ME TANGERE" for the first time which would even strengthen my inner devotion to him and his cinema, the most vividly extension of what the surrealists (or surrealism itself) might have had in mind after Bunuel's the immortal inventiveness of "Un Chien andalou" (as opposed to "L'âge d'or", which is alreaday a party manifesto).

[Altair]

What a tremendous story, it could be a short film in itself.

[lazarus]

What a tale, Stefan--and no wonder Rivette continued to imagine metropolitan conspiracies throughout his career, being followed around town by strangers!

I don't have the ability to reply to private messages yet as a new user but I appreciate the info about Va Savoir+ . It's obviously a weighty item so I may have to register and pay somewhere temporarily to be able to get it, but please do continue to offer options!

This new quest is reminding me of the early 2010s, hunting down all the missing titles when barely anything was available, particularly in Region 1. I'm still amazed I was able to find Out 1, Up Down Fragile, Duelle, Noroît, Secret Defense, etc. But god bless the people at Arrow UK for releasing that beautiful boxed set not long after Rivette's death w those great illustrations/design, the hardcover book, and so many extras. It was like the floodgates had finally opened. And now Cohen Media and Potemkin are giving us another wealth of riches. A great time to be a fan, and better late than never.

[diamonds]

Back in 2012, I was about to commence production on my first feature film (heavily Rivette-influenced)

lazarus, hope you don't mind my asking, but is your film available to view anywhere?

[Ned Merrill Streep]

Back in 2012, I was about to commence production on my first feature film (heavily Rivette-influenced)

lazarus, hope you don't mind my asking, but is your film available to view anywhere?

I would also like to know. It sounds...intriguing.

[lazarus]

Thanks to all those who messaged me (I still can't reply to anything), one of your efforts did the trick! Looking forward to watching VS+ over the weekend, and my Gang of Four Blu-ray arrived in the mail yesterday as well.

As for my own film, I'm waiting to clear some rights on one of the music selections and will hopefully be able to get it up on Amazon soon. The pandemic interrupted my festival plans (I was only able to get into one in-person event), and as I'm currently developing another feature I don't have the energy to keep submitting it and waiting 6 months for acceptance letters and all that.

[Stefan Andersson]

Update on Divertimento:
it´s included on Potemkine´s La Belle Noiseuse, but only in SD. Hiventy did a 35mm print in 2017, from internegative audio and video.
Source: https://testsbluray.com/2022/11/23/test ... -noiseuse/

I may misunderstand Tenia´s review above, but it seems like Potemkine´s Divertimento could be upgraded using the Hiventy 35mm.

[Stefan]

The worst thing about Potemkine's "Belle Noiseuse" Release is the fact that the heavenly intimate documentary "JR Le Veilleur" by Serge Daney (God rest his soul) and Claire Denis is included as a bonus in truly unwatchable quality. The "copy" on Youtube, for instance, is many, many times better. I wonder why Potemkine did no go to Arte, who produced the film, to get a better result.

[tenia]

Update on Divertimento:
it´s included on Potemkine´s La Belle Noiseuse, but only in SD. Hiventy did a 35mm print in 2017, from internegative audio and video.
Source: https://testsbluray.com/2022/11/23/test ... -noiseuse/

I may misunderstand Tenia´s review above, but it seems like Potemkine´s Divertimento could be upgraded using the Hiventy 35mm.

I'm unsure since I didn't receive this DVD, only the other DVD of extra features and the BD. However, somebody on DVD Classik bought the release and stated this doesn't look good at all, so I supposed it probably isn't the new restoration but am not able to confirm and thus leave the door open.

[Stefan Andersson]

Update on Divertimento:
it´s included on Potemkine´s La Belle Noiseuse, but only in SD. Hiventy did a 35mm print in 2017, from internegative audio and video.
Source: https://testsbluray.com/2022/11/23/test ... -noiseuse/

I may misunderstand Tenia´s review above, but it seems like Potemkine´s Divertimento could be upgraded using the Hiventy 35mm.

I'm unsure since I didn't receive this DVD, only the other DVD of extra features and the BD. However, somebody on DVD Classik bought the release and stated this doesn't look good at all, so I supposed it probably isn't the new restoration but am not able to confirm and thus leave the door open.

OK, many thanks for this update, tenia!

[hearthesilence]

FIAF in NYC is screening a 35mm print of Haut Bas Fragile on Valentine's Day.