04-26-2012, 07:26 AM
It seemed like a good idea at the time. I mean, it's got Emmanuelle Béart in it. And has there ever been a more beautiful French actress? She has this luminosity about her, the most graceful sweep of nose, cheeks, chin and lips. And her eyes are big enough to clog a toilet. I've seen maybe 6 of her movies and have always been impressed by her. The best of the lot, also directed by Jacques Rivette, is La Belle Noiseuse (The Beautiful Troublemaker), which I highly recommend. She serves as the nude model for an aging painter who is trying to regain his inspiration. Though long (240 minutes), a good chunk of that length is filled with eye candy in the form of Emmanuelle Beart's naked bod and unflushable eyes.
But The Story of Marie and Julien is no La Belle Noiseuse. In fact, I don't rightly know what it is. That it is long, I know first-hand. Long long long long long. And pointless, at least to this observer. Then again, I lost interest early and was not as attentive as I could have been, but there seemed little reward in store for me.
After it ended, I checked wikipedia. Yep, there's an entry for the movie, which gives the plot. If you're really interested, read the plot description there. It won't spoil anything, as it's an incomprehensible muddle, like two dirt clods mudwrestling. The article makes this telling statement about the movie:
"The emotional distance of the characters and the intellectual and artificial-seeming, quasi-theatrical dialogue is deliberate, depicting their simultaneous connection and isolation."
Yeah, and I'm going to deliberately give this piece of malarky a poke in the eye. Nyuk nyuk nyuk.
But The Story of Marie and Julien is no La Belle Noiseuse. In fact, I don't rightly know what it is. That it is long, I know first-hand. Long long long long long. And pointless, at least to this observer. Then again, I lost interest early and was not as attentive as I could have been, but there seemed little reward in store for me.
After it ended, I checked wikipedia. Yep, there's an entry for the movie, which gives the plot. If you're really interested, read the plot description there. It won't spoil anything, as it's an incomprehensible muddle, like two dirt clods mudwrestling. The article makes this telling statement about the movie:
"The emotional distance of the characters and the intellectual and artificial-seeming, quasi-theatrical dialogue is deliberate, depicting their simultaneous connection and isolation."
Yeah, and I'm going to deliberately give this piece of malarky a poke in the eye. Nyuk nyuk nyuk.
I'm nobody's pony.
