The Films (4, 4, 3.5 /5)

Out of the five directors who transitioned from critics for Cahiers du Cinema, Jacques Rivette is the one I’m most alien too. These three films mark the first time I’ve encountered his work. And I will say it’s hard to make a comparison to the other four, Francois Truffaut, Claude Chabrol, Jean-Luc Godard, and Eric Rohmer. And what an odd bunch these three films turned out to be.

Originally conceived as a set of four films that were an experimental retelling of pulp stories and classic movie genres. Noir, fantasy, pirate adventure, and finally a musical was all planned. Ultimately only three films came out of this idea, forming a loose trilogy. DUELLE, NOROIT (both 1976), and MERRY GO ROUND (1981) were the result, with NOROIT being such a taxing experience that the third film was shelved and the musical transformed into an Avant grade road film with MERRY.

DUELLE, tells the story of the dueling Queens of the moon and sun, who are obsessed with staying on Earth to enjoy its pleasures. The key to their struggle is a magical diamond that will allow one to remain on Earth. During their battle, some unfortunate people are caught in the crosshairs.

DUELLE works on many levels. The first is its dream like pace and imagery. The café and dance club is a quiet void outside of the normal world. The jazz music is always playing and the women always seem to dance during their battles of wits. The second level is the abstract acting and framing of the story. By battle, I’m using that term very loosely. Everything in the performances of Juliet Berto and Bulle Ogier is still and cold. The closest comparison I can make is to the works of Jean Rollin. The framing of the story is also strange in how opened ended everything is. The story is more of a jumping off point and the segments of scenes are where the movie comes alive and enchants. While the story may sound silly, 30 minutes in and it completely hooks you.

NOROIT tells the story of Morag (Geraldine Chaplin), who has recently been shipwrecked on an island of pirates. Her brother has been killed, and she has a hunger for revenge. With the aid of her friend Erika (Kika Markham), she plots the doom of the queen of the pirates named Giulia (Bernadette Lafont).

NOROIT is the best of the three finished films. Rivette turns a simple pirate revenge plot in a surreal and epic in scope movie. While not a deconstruction of the genre, NOROIT is a playful and huge movie. There’s melodrama going on, but this is all subverted to focus on the beats of a pirate story and the grandness of the ocean side. The scenery is just important as the characters and each panning shot gets its money’s worth of the locations. What’s most surprising is how the movie mirrors the excitement of living a rogue lifestyle and escaping to an island paradise without really working as a traditional pirate film.

Like DUELLE, NOROIT at times feels like a Jean Rollin film with its stillness, and the twin effect of women characters, but unlike Rollin, Rivette shows a more upbeat side. Out of the three films this is also the most classically made of the three and best composed. While it’s light on action, NOROIT is full of wonder and hypnotic pacing.

MERRY GO ROUND, Leo (Maria Schneider) is reunited with her sister’s old boyfriend Ben (Joe Dallesandro) in a wacky journey to meet her sister, and meet up for her dead father’s estate sale. But as they get closer things start to get weird.

MERRY GO ROUND is the weakest of the three films, due in large part by it’s over long runtime. Of the three films, it’s the closest in spirit to the rebellious nature of the French New wave and pushes the extremes of narrative logic to its max. The story is very cryptic and nonlinear, but at near three hours, the film loses steam. The hand-held camera work and striking tracking shots make the film feel more free form, like it’s jazz soundtrack where we keep cutting to underscore the action. The cast does their best hoping back and forth between English and French. Maria Schneider is very muted until her loud bursts of rage, while Joe Dallesandro is hamming it up. The film is still impressive visually and charming in its delivery, but it sadly misses the freshness of the previous two films.

Audio/Video (5/5)

All three films come with LPCM 1.0 Channel tracks. DUELLE and NOROIT have French language tracks, while MERRY GO ROUND has a mix of English and French. All three films have an excellent sound mix, with some minor issues in MERRY. There’s some hiss and drop out in audio in MERRY, and the French sections have a muffled sound to them. The free form jazz of all three films is a huge highlight of the mixes. English subtitles are included for all three films.

The 1080p HD transfers are simply outstanding and glow with detail. The colors have a crystal-clear shine to them and the yellows and greens dance off the screen. The black levels are well defined and the picture has a sharp focus. NOROIT is the best looking of the three. The scenery and color is beyond gorgeous.

Extras (4.5/5)

Arrow has done it again with a healthy number of extras. First up is Remembering Duelle, with interviews from the cast and crew. Rosenbaum on Rivette features Critic Jonathan Rosenbaum, who discuss the three films, and the doomed never filmed fourth film in the series. Scenes from a Parallel Life is another documentary which covers the three films and has an interview with Rivette. The biggest highlight is the Book of Liner notes and stills that comes with the collection.

Overall (4.5/5)

This may not be the perfect introduction to the works of Rivette, but as is Arrow gives the grand treatment to three highly unique films. The transfers are truly breathtaking. Highly Recommended.