La belle noiseuse (1991)

Director:

Jacques Rivette

Writers:

Pascal Bonitzer (scenario) and
Christine Laurent (scenario) ...
(more)

Release Date:

4 September 1991 (France)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

The former famous painter Frenhofer lives quietly with his wife on his countryside residence in the French Provence...

Plot Keywords:

Art | Artist | Painting | Creative Process | Model

Awards:

5 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Michel Piccoli	...	Edouard Frenhofer
Jane Birkin	...	Liz
Emmanuelle Béart	...	Marianne
Marianne Denicourt	...	Julienne
David Bursztein	...	Nicolas
Gilles Arbona	...	Porbus
Marie Belluc	...	Magali
Marie-Claude Roger	...	Françoise
Leïla Remili	...	La servante
Daphne Goodfellow	...	Deux touristes
Susan Robertson	...	Deux touristes
Bernard Dufour	...	La main du peintre

Directed by
Jacques Rivette

Writing credits
Pascal Bonitzer		(scenario) and
Christine Laurent		(scenario) and
Jacques Rivette		(scenario)
Honoré de Balzac		(inspired by novella "Le chef-d'oeuvre inconnu") (as Balzac)
Pascal Bonitzer		(dialogue) and
Christine Laurent		(dialogue)

Produced by
Martine Marignac	....	producer
Maurice Tinchant	....	associate producer

Cinematography by
William Lubtchansky

Film Editing by
Nicole Lubtchansky

Production Design by
Emmanuel de Chauvigny

Costume Design by
Laurence Struz

Makeup Department
Susan Robertson	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Olivier Guespin	....	assistant unit manager
Catherine Martin	....	assistant unit manager
Clément Sentilhes	....	assistant unit manager
Janou Shammas	....	unit manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Anne Billiotte	....	second assistant director
Lorraine Groleau	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Denis Busson	....	assistant art director
Thomas Pitre	....	assistant art director
Valérie Segond	....	assistant art director (as Valérie Second)
Jean-Michel Simonet	....	assistant art director

Sound Department
Florian Eidenbenz	....	sound
Brice Leboucq	....	sound assistant
Bernard Le Roux	....	sound mixer

Camera and Electrical Department
Barry Davis	....	electrician
Laurent Duquesnoy	....	grip
Thierry Fonteny	....	grip
Philippe Gibier	....	electrician
Jim Howe	....	electrician
Moune Jamet	....	still photographer
Jean-Bernard Josko	....	grip
Laetitia Masson	....	assistant camera
Christophe Pollock	....	assistant camera
Stéphane Thiry	....	electrician

Editorial Department
Anne Mills	....	assistant editor

Other crew
Danièle Gain	....	press agent (as Danielle Gain)
Odile Huhardeux	....	production secretary
Sylvie Magnac	....	production secretary
Lydie Mahias	....	script
Jean Talvat	....	production administrator

Production Companies

• Pierre Grise Productions (presents)
• George Reinhart Productions (presents)
• FR3 Films Production (co-production)
• Centre National de la Cinématographie (CNC) (participation)
• Canal+ (participation)
• Investimage 2 (participation) (as Investimage 2 et 3)
• Investimage 3 (participation) (as Investimage 2 et 3)
• Région Languedoc-Roussillon (support)

Distributors

• Pierre Grise Distribution (1991) (France) (theatrical)
• Arte Vidéo (2002) (France) (DVD)
• Arte Vidéo (2008) (France) (DVD) (special edition)
• Artificial Eye (1992) (UK) (theatrical)
• Golem Distribución (Spain) (theatrical)
• MK2 Diffusion (USA) (theatrical) (subtitled)
• Artificial Eye (2003) (UK) (DVD)
• Prodimag (2005) (Spain) (DVD)
• Total Film Home Entertainment (199?) (Netherlands) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Agfa Gevaert  sound film stock
• Agnès B.  clothes
• Auditel  negative cutting
• Caméras Système Moviecam  camera equipment
• D.C. Audiovisuel  sound re-recording
• Euro-Titres  titles
• Key Grip System  grip equipment
• Les Auditoriums de Joinville  sound post-production
• Manu Décors  design studio (as Atelier Manu Décors)
• Multivolts  lighting
• Orchestre National de la RTF  orchestra: "Petrouchka"
• S.G.A.C. Bellan  insurance (as S.G.A.C.)
• Sinfonieorchester des Südwestfunks  orchestra: "Agon" (as Orchestre du Südwestfunk de Baden-Baden)

Runtime:

236 min | South Korea:93 min

Country:

France | Switzerland

Language:

French | English

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Germany:6 | France:U | Australia:M | Finland:S | South Korea:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:Btl | UK:15

Filming Locations:

Assas, Hérault, France

Company:

Pierre Grise Productions

Trivia:

Frenhofer mentions a sculptor, Rubek, and his model, Irene, who both died in Norway. This is a reference to a play by Henrik Ibsen, 'When We Dead Awake'.

Goofs:

Continuity: In Frenhofer's studio, the position of Marianne's legs changes between the long shot (right leg bent and forward) and close shot (left leg bent and forward) when Frenhofer is telling them that they will be unhappy as well.

Movie Connections:

Version of Divertimento (1991)

Soundtrack:

Petrouchka

It Can Change Your Life

This is one of those films which remains etched in the memory and can even change a person's life in a subtle way; certainly it can offer an insight into the art of painting unlike any other film I've seen. It is long, in the sense that classics of world literature can be lengthy - in other words, in an epic sense. I simply cannot restrain my enthusiasm for this film, which is ultimately nothing less than a psychological study of the creative process and its effect on human relationships. Every frame of those 4 hours of viewing is in its own way intriguing and inviting, and of course Beart is very beautiful. But the scenery, too, the old estate on which Frenhofer lives, is a character in the film, reflecting the artists own genteel, yet restless seniority perfectly. Shall I say more? Buy a good bottle of French red wine and sip it with relish, while immersing yourself free of preconceptions (about long movies or artistic pretentiousness) in this masterpiece! It is not about showing off, it is about the human condition. Nothing is entirely infallible, of course, so 9 out of 10.