Va savoir (2001)

Director:

Jacques Rivette

Writers:

Pascal Bonitzer (scenario) &
Christine Laurent (scenario) ...

Release Date:

10 October 2001 (France)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

Plot:

Quick-witted, well-read cultured types revolve around each other in a delightful potpourri of theatre, romanticism and theft.

Plot Keywords:

Love | Theater | Jealousy | Paris France | Based On Play

Awards:

3 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Jeanne Balibar	...	Camille B.
Marianne Basler	...	Sonia
Hélène de Fougerolles	...	Dominique 'Do'
Catherine Rouvel	...	Madame Desprez
Sergio Castellitto	...	Ugo
Jacques Bonnaffé	...	Pierre
Bruno Todeschini	...	Arthur
Claude Berri	...	Librarian
Attilio Cucari	...	Salter
Bettina Kee	...	Mop
Luciana Castellucci	...	Lena
Emanuele Vacca	...	Salesio
Arturo Armone Caruso	...	Bruno
Valeria Cavalli	...	Ines
Fausto Maria Sciarappa	...	Silvio

Also Known As:

Va Savoir (Who Knows?) (Australia) (USA)
(Chi lo sa?) (Italy)
Chi lo sa? (Italy) (alternative spelling)
Va savoir + (France) (director's cut)
Va savoir - Keiner weiß mehr (Germany)

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for brief nudity.

Runtime:

France:154 min | France:220 min (director's cut) | Germany:154 min | Spain:157 min

Country:

France | Italy | Germany

Language:

French | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Singapore:NC-16 | South Korea:15 | Australia:PG | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:6 | Netherlands:AL | Spain:13 | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | UK:PG | USA:PG-13 | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company:

Pierre Grise Productions

Goofs:

Continuity: A child and a bicycle in the background disappears between shots in the park.

Quotes:

Sonia: Someone came to see you. A woman.
Pierre: What did see want?
Sonia: She didn't say. To see you. I think she was your ex.
Pierre: Cammille?
Sonia: Yes, Cammille. I'm sure of it.
Pierre: Did she say anything?
Sonia: She didn't have a chance to talk. You don't look surprised.

Movie Connections:

References As You Desire Me (1932)

Soundtrack:

Senza Fine

Jacques Rivette; at his most bright and brilliant

A light Rivette; Va Savoir (2001) is a film that features many of the director's most recognisable traits and characteristics familiar from the unwieldy and progressive films that he made in the late 1960's and early 1970's, but done in such a way as to suggest a more frivolous or throwaway tone with the emphasis placed more squarely on the elements of comedy and farce. This doesn't necessarily mean that the film is bad, or that it fails in some way to compare to the more iconic likes of Paris nous appartient (1960), L'amour fou (1969), Out 1 (1971) and Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974) - all of which are referenced here - but rather, that it shows a process of simplification; with Rivette taking his chosen themes - such as performance, miscommunication and the battle of the sexes - and allowing the characters to take precedence over the story, as opposed to the experiments with the film-making form. Perhaps this is emblematic of Rivette's more recent work over the last twenty years, though having only seen La Belle Noiseuse (1991) from his post Celine and Julie projects (admittedly missing out on a great deal of the man's career), I can only make the obvious comparisons.

Nonetheless, the relative simplicity and emphasis on character worked well here; with Rivette keenly following the trials and tribulations of a small collection of characters all bumbling about the woes of modern relationship difficulties from an upper-middle class perspective. Along the way we have the usual self-reflexive comments on the nature of performance and of film-making itself, with the story revolving around an Italian-language production of Luigi Pirandello's "As You Desire Me" that the central couple are appearing in. In some respects the film reminded me of the work of Woody Allen, with the ensemble nature of the narrative and the film's social milieu suggesting elements of Hannah and her Sisters (1986), Husbands and Wives (1994) and the more recent Melinda and Melinda (2004), while the idea of a play (or film) that is both a part of the story and also a subtle comment on it reminded me of Stardust Memories (1980), The Purple Rose of Cairo (1984) and Bullets Over Broadway (1994). As with those particular films, Va Savoir offers a narrative in which the subtle juxtaposition of the characters thoughts, feelings and social interactions creates a comedy of errors to undercut many of the more dramatic or self-consciously self-reflexive elements of the film.

As ever with Rivette - or at least the work of his that I've so far seen - the film moves perfectly between the various characters and their roles and interactions, as the skillful sense of choreography between the different layers of the narrative and the impeccable comic-performances of the cast help to draw us in to the story and lead us towards that quietly brilliant final act. I can certainly understand why many would dislike the film; it's long, deals exclusively in character interaction (on at least two separate levels) and creates a world that is stuffy and intellectual, no doubt seemingly horribly pretentious to those unwilling to spend more than thirty minutes with these characters or the world that Rivette creates. Regardless, I personally think that Va Savoir is a fine film; both intelligent and entertaining and with that spark and spirit so recognisable in the director's work from Paris nous appartient to the celebrated Celine and Julie.