Whiling away a summer in Paris, director Jacques Rivette, working in close collaboration with his stars and coconspirators Juliet Berto and Dominique Labourier, set out to rewrite the rules of cinema in the spirit of pure play—moviemaking as an anything-goes romp through the labyrinths of imagination. The result is one of the most exuberantly inventive and utterly enchanting films of the French New Wave, in which Julie (Labourier), a daydreaming librarian, meets Céline (Berto), an enigmatic magician, and together they become the heroines of a time-warping adventure involving a haunted house, psychotropic candy, and a murder-mystery melodrama. Incorporating allusions to everything from Lewis Carroll to Louis Feuillade, Céline and Julie Go Boating is both one of the all-time-great hangout comedies and a totally unique, enveloping cinematic dream space that delights in the endless pleasures and possibilities of stories.Read More »
Juliet Berto
-
Jacques Rivette – Céline et Julie vont en bateau: Phantom Ladies Over Paris AKA Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974)
Jacques Rivette1971-1980ArthouseFantasyFrance -
Juliet Berto & Jean-Henri Roger – Cap Canaille (1983)
Juliet Berto1981-1990DramaFranceJean-Henri RogerThrillerMarseille, the 80s. Criminal fires, real estate business.
A burnt hill belongs to Paula Baretto, her only goods and heritage from her murdered father, ex-chemist of the French Connection…Read More » -
Juliet Berto & Jean-Henri Roger – Cap Canaille (1983) (DVD)
1981-1990CrimeCultFranceJean-Henri RogerJuliet BertoMarseille, the 80s. Criminal fires, real estate business.
A burnt hill belongs to Paula Baretto, her only goods and heritage from her murdered father, ex-chemist of the French Connection…Read More » -
Juliet Berto – Havre (1986)
1981-1990CampFranceJuliet BertoLili, a woman-child alone in this tough port city, tries to restore order to her life after the death of her lover, a computer “composer.” She has to deal with four local dockworkers — symbolizing fire, water, earth, and wind — struggling between destruction and the path to self-discovery.Read More »
-
Robert Kramer – Guns (1980)
1971-1980DramaFrancePoliticsRobert KramerFollowing a series of films questioning commitment and politics in America and culminating with Milestones 1975, and a 1977 documentary on Lisbon’s Carnation Revolution, Scenes from the Class Struggle in Portugal, Robert Kramer moved to France with his family. The first film he made there was Guns, an intricate feature which echoed the paranoid films of 1970’s Hollywood. With Guns, Kramer continues his exploration of the militant psyche, while at the same time experimenting with different forms of narration.Read More »
-
Juliet Berto & Jean-Henri Roger – Neige AKA Snow [+Extra] (1981)
Drama1981-1990CrimeFranceJean-Henri RogerJuliet BertoQuote:
An illustration of the more or less weird people in the nightlife of the revel region of a French town. In the center of the (almost non-existing) plot are barmaid Anita and a reverend. Anita cares for the Caribbean dealer Bobby like a mother, but he’s too cool to listen to her warnings. When he’s caught by the police, Anita has pity for her friends who are without “neige” (snow, probably cocaine) now, and tries to help them out.Read More » -
Delphine Seyrig – Sois belle et tais-toi AKA Be Pretty and Shut Up (1981)
1981-1990Delphine SeyrigDocumentaryFranceFamous actresses talk about their role in the movie industry, and the demand to “be beautiful and shut up”.Read More »
-
Claude Miller – Camille ou La comédie catastrophique (1971)
1971-1980Claude MillerComedyFranceCamille invites some soldiers to spend a Sunday in the country with her. When they arrive, they find that something is amiss.Read More »
-
Jean-Luc Godard – La chinoise [+commentary] (1967)
1961-1970AdventureFranceJean-Luc GodardPoliticsSynopsis:
Born in a decade of political turmoil, La Chinoise has become a cinematic marker for the significant historical events that surrounded its creation. Five Parisian students, their political awareness aroused by Chairman Mao’s Little Red Book and the Chinese Cultural Revolution, envision an overthrow of Western governmental systems – which they aim to bring about through acts of terrorism. One of Godard’s most brilliant films of the 60s, its success lies in the rejection of traditional narrative techniques: it is a dialectical charade which is as disturbing as it is comical. Though criticised in its day as a political manipulation, La Chinoise has proven alarmingly prophetic and its impact on audiences during the late 60s is echoed amongst viewers today.Read More »