Artivels Undescribable Perfection

Protraph Lack of good storyline.

SpunkySelfTwitter It’s an especially fun movie from a director and cast who are clearly having a good time allowing themselves to let loose.

Tayloriona Although I seem to have had higher expectations than I thought, the movie is super entertaining.

zeetgyst I mostly enjoyed the experience of watching this film. I had an afternoon to kill. It was snowy outside but it was warm cozy and quiet inside. I had the few days off before so I was in a relaxed and comfortable in my comfortable cozy house.It is about a middle-aged and financially comfortable "Artist" living in beautiful surroundings. He doesn't need to paint to earn a living and apparently he needs to do very little in general. He has the ability to spend long periods of time doing nothing but indulging in his art. When the screen is not filled with images of a beautiful naked girl, it is filled with images of the idealized self-imagine of the artist< or would-be artist, as "Artist". One cannot but help draw parallels with the director himself. At that point in his career, established, comfortable and few practical limits on his ability to wallow in his "art". Although it has all the props of artistry and we are left of believe the artist has suffered for his art, the end product is merely pretty with no real tension or original insight. This film is to cinema what Kenny G is to Jazz. If you are in the right mood, you may find it pleasant to have on in the background while reading a book.

Jackson Booth-Millard I saw this listed as one of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, in the book, so obviously I was willing to watch it, despite not knowing anything about the plot or anything, I hoped for the best. Basically in rural Languedoc-Roussillon lives famous and reclusive artist Edouard Frenhofer (Michel Piccoli) with his wife and former model Liz ("Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus" singer Jane Birkin) in his large château in the French Provence. Young artist Nicolas (David Bursztein) visits him with his girlfriend Marianne (Emmanuelle Béart), and Edouard is inspired by her beauty to start painting again, and more specifically start again, or continue as it were, the painting he has long abandoned. Marianne removes all of her clothing, and the artist commences sketching for what will become the painting he stopped, called La Belle Noiseuse, translated The Beautiful Troublemaker. Most of the film is the numerous times that Marianne poses for Edouard while he sketches and more importantly paints his subject in the various poses he puts, or sometimes forces, her into. As time goes by, he is obviously becoming frustrated as he finds it hard to find the right pose and create the right work, and she is finding it hard to stay in her poses, be naked in front of him, and feel pressured into helping him with his work. The film ends with the work completed, but Edouard feels guilty or something for the finished painting, and to make sure no-one ever sees it he hides it behind a new brick wall, and he quickly creates the replacement, we never see the real painting that was finished. Also starring Marianne Denicourt as Julienne, Gilles Arbona as Porbus and Bernard Dufour as The Painter (the real one creating the works). It is two or three minutes short of four hours long, and it may not be for everyone, it can even coin the phrase "it's as interesting as watching paint dry", but I liked it, as I have an interest in drawing myself. What made it fascinating was seeing the painting done in real time, with hardly any cutaways, so you can admire what the artist is trying to create (it's almost like watching Rolf Harris sometimes, LOL, "can you tell what it is yet?"), and these scenes really use the time wisely and make it a rewarding and compelling drama masterpiece. Very good!

PsychoDingo La Belle Noiseuse is exactly what Americans fear when someone suggests that we watch foreign films. When we are hanging out with our friends, enjoying a few rounds of Bud Light and pontificating about the boring European films we've never seen, this is the movie we are imagining.That's right, folks, I'm talking about four hours of French people drinking coffee and smoking cigarettes while a frustrated painter tries to get his groove back by making rough sketches of a model and pondering the willful personality of a painting that doesn't exist.As if that wasn't bad enough, there are dozens of shots of a beautiful naked woman being manually contorted, like Gumby, while not having sex. It is morally reprehensible for a movie to show so much nakedness yet so little nookie. In exchange for taking the risk of our children accidentally seeing this and turning into nudists, or something equally horrific (cappuccino-sipping art house snobs), we deserve the highest possible return.Unfortunately, most of La Belle Noiseuse takes place in one location. That's just not how a movie is supposed to be. If we want to look at the same house for hours, we can do that without renting movies. We like The Shining, 12 Angry Men, and Phone Booth, but those are American movies for mass consumption, not French "hipster chow" for snotty college students. If we are going to put up with watching foreigners doing artsy stuff, we should at least get a decent tour.So if you want to spend all day watching the same thing happening over and over again in the same place, with occasional dramatic interruptions, then suit yourself. But as far as I am concerned…well, now that I think about it, that sounds a lot like NASCAR. Maybe it's not such a bad movie after all.(NOTE: Let not the sarcasm be lost.)

ruthierocks In his four hour drama La Belle Noiseuse, French filmmaker Jacques Rivette has painted a haunting portrayal of an artist, a model, and the effects that a work can have on those involved. It is a brave piece of film-making, featuring physical and emotional openness. The film moves very slowly, but is very much worth watching. La Belle Noiseuse allows us to watch the creation of a piece of art and how it can change a person. This is a true accomplishment. The actors are all very much on key and, with no real script, provide real and believable dialogue. Rivette paints these characters in a very human way: it's easy to imagine these people existing. There are no movie tricks. It's a truly naked film in that it offers such an intimate look into the hearts of the main characters. Anytime a film can do this, you know it's something special.La Belle Noiseuse revolves around two couples. Marianne and Nicolas are a young couple. Nicolas is an artist and has been invited to take a look at the studio of Frenhofer, a once revered and respected painter who has given up his art. While discussing a painting that Frenhofer never finished – the "La Belle Noiseuse" – Nicolas suggests that Frenhofer use Marianne as his model. Frenhofer agrees. However, Marianne is not very happy about this. She arrives at the studio very disheartened. As Frenhofer draws and paints her, the two of them get to know each other. Marianne's resentment falls away and she becomes more open with Frenhofer, doing as he says, asking him questions, posing how he'd like. Frenhofer wants to dig deeper. As a painter, he feels the need to really capture the essence of his model. His wife, Liz, was his last model. As a result of this need to dig deeper, he was forced to either give up painting or give up his wife. The film spends much of its four hour running time in the studio with Marianne and Frenhofer. Otherwise, there are scenes with Frenhofer and Liz, as well as with Liz and Nicolas, and Marianne and Nicolas, who are growing apart by the day.For those who can endure the extreme running time, La Belle Noiseuse is a fascinating film to watch. The characters, as I said before, are very real. Much of the film features Marianne (played by the lovely Emmanuelle Beart) posing nude. It's a bold performance for the actress, who must bear her soul as well as her body in order for the performance to be effective. She is absolutely wonderful, as is Michel Piccoli as the bitter painter. The only problem I have with the film is not that it's so long, but that much of it focuses on the drawing. There are five and ten minute scenes where the audience watches Frenhofer sketch and paint. It's fascinating at first, but eventually becomes a bit tedious. This should not steer anyone away, though. Anyone who can appreciate slow moving character studies should be fine.To sum up, I would recommend La Belle Noiseuse. However, a person should probably know what they are getting into prior to watching. The film is not for everyone. It takes patience to enjoy, but for those who can, it is very rewarding. Jacques Rivette is a truly revolutionary director. The other film I've seen from him, Celine and Julie Go Boating, is just as wonderful as La Belle Noiseuse, but is in a completely different universe. He is a very versatile, unique, and underrated director. La Belle Noiseuse shows this. It's a beautiful film.9/10