Now in his 80s, Jacques Rivette continues to carry the banner of the nouvelle vague, producing films that challenge the timidity of the mainstream heritage industry by showing how the adaptation of a book can be both literate and cinematic. La Duchesse de Langeaise formed part of Balzac's La Comédie humaine and Max Ophüls nearly persuaded Greta Garbo to star in a Hollywood version in 1948. But whereas Ophüls would have made a film of nimble elegance and impossible romanticism, Rivette has produced a trenchant battle of wits in which the passions of Napoleonic general Guillaume Depardieu are inflamed by 1820s socialite Jeanne Balibar's refusal to accept his ardour, let alone follow his orders. Although much shorter than many previous Rivette outings, this subtle and superbly played study of barbed etiquette and wounded pride still reflects his fascination with the tension between theatricality and realism, with Emmanuelle de Chauvigny's Restoration interiors being lit by William Lubtchansky with an intensity that mirrors Depardieu's shifting mood, as his gauche devotion yields to a menacing fervency for revenge.
Balzac's 1834 novella La Duchesse de Langeais - which follows the tumultuous romantic clash between a Parisian socialite and a traumatised French general - is given a lavish, witty, telling by veteran nouvelle vague director Jacques Rivette.
The soldier's recent, harrowing adventures pale next to the coquettish offensive mounted by the manipulative duchess - until the tactician turns the emotional tables. Revisiting Balzac again after 1991's international success La Belle Noiseuse, Rivette reminds the world again of his storytelling prowess, and the mischievous joy he takes in the foibles of humankind.
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Don't Touch the Axe
