Celine et Julie Vont en Bateauu

Special Screening this Sunday at the Cinematheque Ontario of Jacques Rivette film.

Check out:
http://www.cinemathequeontario.ca

for more details.

CELINE ET JULIE VONT EN BATEAU (France 1974) ****
Directed by Jacques Rivette

French auteur Jacque Rivette’s films have been known to be lengthy excursions into the art form.  My first Rivette film was LA BELLE NOISEUSE, running a full 4 hours and I cannot envisage the shorter 2 hour version.  My second was OUT 1: SPECTRE that ran 225 minutes.  But CELINE ET JULIE GO BOATING is Rivette in playful form, and the 192 minutes fleet by, just as the 2 main characters run and laugh themselves into a frenzy around Paris and help solve a murder mystery – Rivette style.

The film begins with the meeting of Julie (Dominique Labourier) and Celine (Juliet Berto).  Celine follows Julie who has dropped articles (like the rabbit in ALICE IN WONDERLAND).  They eventually meet with their roles interchanged.  It turns out that with the help of magic sweets they can time travel and reminisce past memories.  They use these magical powers to help a little girl who they think is murdered in a mansion where Celine worked as a nanny.

Rivette plays with the narrative with great finesse.  Though the plot seems confusing, Rivette allows his film, through pacing for the audience to collect their thoughts and to enjoy this delightful adult fantasy.  The film takes its time to enchant, but the wait is well worth it.