Jacques Rivette

 Jacques Rivette






RANKED:

2. Paris Belongs to Us (1961)


Despite being a notable addition to the French New Wave movement, Jacques Rivette's 1961 film "Paris Belongs to Us" doesn't quite meld together into a coherent work. Centering on a young woman attempting to figure out the death of a mysterious Juan, the film feels like an inflated, self-important attempt at a new wave noir. As its protagonist gathers information and missing pieces from the social scene surrounding the late figure whom she never met, the film doesn't quite have a pacing or kineticism that leaves one feeling its intended intrigue. 




1. The Nun (1966)


Jacques Rivette's 1966 adaptation of 1792 French novel "La Religieuse" by Denis Diderot is perhaps the greatest film on the life of a nun ever put to screen. Although it was released in the New Wave era in France, "The Nun" chose a far more classical, conventional approach to telling its story. The film centers on Suzanne, a young woman forced into becoming a nun. Because much of the film illustrates various types of authoritarianism in the Catholic church, it was banned from release due to public outrage. Even the mentioning of the film's banned by banned by public television. However, after it was allowed to be shown at the 1966 Cannes Film Festival, it was met with unanimous adulation. Its central character is complex - transforming herself completely by the film's end by enduring the various trials and tribulations of social repression. Despite the less than favorable outcome to the character's story, her quest for internal purity drives the spiritual components of the film.


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