''L'Amour fou'' is a 1969 French

film A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

directed by

Jacques Rivette Jacques Rivette (; 1 March 1928 – 29 January 2016) was a French film director and film critic most commonly associated with the French New Wave and the film magazine ''Cahiers du Cinéma''. He made twenty-nine films, including ''L'amour fou' ...

, who also co-wrote the script with Marilù Parolini.

Plot

''L'Amour fou'' follows the dissolution of the marriage between Claire, an actress (played by

Bulle Ogier Bulle Ogier (born Marie-France Thielland; 9 August 1939) is a French actress and screenwriter. She adopted the professional surname Ogier, which was her mother's maiden name. Her first appearance on screen was in ''Voilà l'Ordre'', a short film ...

), and Sebastien, her director (

Jean-Pierre Kalfon Jean-Pierre Kalfon (born 30 October 1938) is a French actor and singer. Selected filmography External links * 1938 births Living people French male film actors French male television actors Male actors from Paris French male stage a ...

). It is black and white with two different

film gauge Film gauge is a physical property of photographic or motion picture film stock which defines its width. Traditionally, the major movie film gauges are 8 mm, 16 mm, 35 mm, and 65/70 mm (in this case 65 mm for the negative and 70 mm f ...

s ( 35 mm and

16 mm 16 mm film is a historically popular and economical gauge of film. 16 mm refers to the width of the film (about inch); other common film gauges include 8 and 35 mm. It is generally used for non-theatrical (e.g., industrial, edu ...

) employed at different times throughout the film. The film focuses on a long cycle of self-destruction in Claire and Sebastien's relationship. The central event in the film's narrative is a three-week period of preparation by a theater group for a production of Racine's version of ''

Andromaque ''Andromaque'' is a tragedy in five acts by the French playwright Jean Racine written in alexandrine verse. It was first performed on 17 November 1667 before the court of Louis XIV in the Louvre in the private chambers of the Queen, Marie Thér� ...

''. A crew films the preparations of the theater company in handheld 16 mm, while the rest of the film is shot in 35 mm. This framework allows Rivette to focus on the act of direction, in the formation of an artwork and the dissolution of a relationship.

Significance

The film is pivotal in Rivette's career as a precursor to his vast 12+ hour opus ''

Out 1 ''Out 1'', also referred to as ''Out 1: Noli Me Tangere'', is a 1971 French film directed by Jacques Rivette and Suzanne Schiffman. It is indebted to Honoré de Balzac's ''La Comédie humaine'', particularly the ''History of the Thirteen'' colle ...

'' which followed two years later.

Cast

- Claire *

- Sébastien-Pyrrhus * André S. Labarthe - Le réalisateur * Josée Destoop - Marta-Hermione * Dennis Berry - Dennis-Pylade *

Michèle Moretti Michèle Moretti (born 15 March 1940 in Paris, France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Amer ...

- Michèle

References

External links

* * * French avant-garde and experimental films 1969 films 1969 drama films 1960s French-language films Films directed by Jacques Rivette Jean Racine 1960s avant-garde and experimental films French drama films 1960s French films {{1960s-France-film-stub

Plot

Significance

Cast

Further reading

References

External links