The Film (4.5/5)

Hidden away in the French countryside is famous but reclusive painter Edouard Frenhofer (Michel Piccoli) and his faithful wife (Jane Birkin). Edouard has given up most forms of painting and spends his golden years making self-portraits whenever he is hit with inspiration. The quiet life they lead is suddenly shaken up by a group of visitors, with two being a young artist (David Bursztein) and his gorgeous writer girlfriend (Emmanuelle Béart). At first a little hesitant to welcome his guests, he soon finds himself struck with artist expression and wants to paint this new woman. After she agrees to model for his new painting, we soon discover he is trying to complete a piece he abandoned long ago, "la belle noisouse".

LA BELLE NOISOUSE (1991, aka "The Beautiful Troublemaker") is one of late masterpieces from Nouvelle Vague director Jacques Rivette (PARIS BELONGS TO US, JOAN THE MAIDEN). Clocking in a massive 4-hour runtime, NOISOUSE is a challenging sit of a movie That covers all the tedious and painful parts of the creative process. Unlike some of his Cahiers du Cinema contemporaries, Rivette wasn't afraid of extend takes and pushing his runtimes and a loose narrative. While it may tire some viewers, this approach benefits this movie and forms a rewarding viewing experience by the powerful ending few minutes.

Originally starting as a joke, Rivette made one of the poetic and hypnotic art movies as it shows the painful relationship between an artist and his model. With these extended takes he finds magic little moments in the creative process, like starting a drawing, and tossing it after only a few strokes. It almost reaches a level of zen with its amount of detail and quietness. The sound of paint being mixed, the scratching of a pen on a page, and the wrinkles in the paper. Most scenes are played without music making the effect even more dreamlike.

The movie is supported by its game cast. The chemistry between Piccoli and Beart is the heart of the film. The vulnerability and raw energy in every scene feels real. Beart (MISSION IMPOSSIBLE) especially is brave for her role her, showing a lot of nudity and spending most of the runtime in the bare flesh. Making it feel more naturalistic. Piccoli (DANGER DIABOLIK, CONTEMPT) is obsessed with finding his vision on the canvas and even brings up the fact that his life's work could boil down to this painting. Echoing this Jane Birkin (1978's DEATH ON THE NILE) mentions how this is a kind of madness and that it feels like drowning. Speaking of Birkin, she also turns in a fine and offbeat performance with little bits of business with stuffed birds. The last third of the film becomes more of hers with every shot.

Audio/Video (5/5)

Cohen releases this recently 4K remastered and restored 4-hour cut of LA BELLE NOISOUSE with a gorgeous transfer and sound mix. The 2.0 French DTS-HD Master audio is a splendid sound mix with no hiss or pops. The sound effects are crisp and help sink you into the web of the film. English subtitles are included.

The 1080p HD transfer is out of this world with detail. Every shot looks wonderful with rich colors and nightmarish greys. There is some natural film grain and smooth black levels. The 4K transfer is one of the best I've seen so far this year. Each shot is filled head to toe with detail, including layers of dust on some bricks. Excellent work from Cohen!

Extras (3/5)

The main extra is an audio Commentary with film historian Richard Suchenski. The track is filled with trivia and nice input on Rivette's career but is sadly too scene specific. This leads to plenty of repeated and dull comments on the film. On Disc 2 we get an Archival interview with Rivette. He talks about the origins of the film and his burning passion for the project. Lastly there is an interview with co- writers Pascal Bonitzer and Christine Laurent, and a rerelease trailer.

Overall (4.5/5)

LA BELLE NOISOUSE is long movie with lots of under the surface tension. So, it's going to be a tough sit for some viewers. But those who are up for the challenge will discover a hypnotizing film about the painful creative process. One of Rivette's most poetic films which is severed by this excellent edition from Cohen. Highly Recommended.