In my opinion America’s great gift to cinema is Comedy and our snappy, spirited comediennes. The French basically invented cinema and their gifts are obvious, great and many. I never really considered comedy to be one of them. But up until yesterday I had never seen Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974, J.Rivette). The joyful and hilarious performances of Juliet Berto and Dominique Labourier are wonderful. At times I was laughing so hard I was nearly in tears. Like when Julie takes Celine’s place at the cabaret and performs her show stopping melodramatic medley. You can watch the scene online here.
This eccentric, playful avant-garde film breezes along for 3.5 hours on the whims of these irresistible actresses. A uniquely original, fascinating film about — among other things — the imaginative, collaborative process.
Merci.