Directed by Jacques Rivette • 1961 • France
Starring Betty Schneider, François Maistre, Giani Esposito
One of the original critics turned filmmakers who helped jump-start the French New Wave, Jacques Rivette began shooting his debut feature in 1958, well before that cinema revolution officially kicked off with THE 400 BLOWS and BREATHLESS. Ultimately released in 1961, the rich and mysterious PARIS BELONGS TO US offers some of the radical flavor that would define the movement, with a particularly Rivettian twist. The film follows a young literature student (Betty Schneider) who befriends the members of a loose-knit group of twentysomethings in Paris, united by the apparent suicide of an acquaintance. Suffused with a lingering post-World War II disillusionment while also evincing the playfulness and fascination with theatrical performance and conspiracy that would become hallmarks for the director, PARIS BELONGS TO US marked the provocative start to a brilliant directorial career.
Up Next in French New Wave
-
Cléo from 5 to 7
Directed by Agnès Varda • 1962 • France
Starring Corinne Marchand, Antoine Bourseiller, Dominique DavrayAgnès Varda eloquently captures Paris in the sixties with this real-time portrait of a singer (Corinne Marchand) set adrift in the city as she awaits test results of a biopsy. A chronicle of ...
-
Jules and Jim
Directed by François Truffaut • 1962 • France
Starring Jeanne Moreau, Oskar Werner, Henri SerreHailed as one of the finest films ever made, JULES AND JIM charts, over twenty-five years, the relationship between two friends and the object of their mutual obsession. The legendary François Truffau...
-
Vivre sa vie
Directed by Jean-Luc Godard • 1962 • France
Starring Anna Karina, Sady Rebbot, André LabartheVIVRE SA VIE (a.k.a. MY LIFE TO LIVE) was a turning point for Jean-Luc Godard and remains one of his most dynamic films, combining brilliant visual design with a tragic character study. The lovely Anna ...
