La Belle Noiseuse

La Belle Noiseuse
La Belle Noiseuse
	French theatrical release poster
Directed by	Jacques Rivette
Screenplay by	Pascal Bonitzer; Christine Laurent; Jacques Rivette;
Based on	Le Chef-d'œuvre inconnu; by Honoré de Balzac
Produced by	Martine Marignac
Starring	Michel Piccoli; Jane Birkin; Emmanuelle Béart; Marianne Denicourt; David Bursztein; Gilles Arbona; Bernard Dufour;
Cinematography	William Lubtchansky
Edited by	Nicole Lubtchansky
Music by	Igor Stravinsky
Production; companies	Pierre Grise Productions; FR3 Films Production; George Reinhart Productions;
Distributed by	Pierre Grise Distribution
Release dates	14 May 1991 (Cannes); 4 September 1991 (France);
Running time	237 minutes
Countries	France; Switzerland;
Languages	French; English;

La Belle Noiseuse (French: [la bɛl nwa.zøz], lit. 'The Beautiful Troublemaker') is a 1991 drama film directed by Jacques Rivette and starring Michel Piccoli, Jane Birkin and Emmanuelle Béart. Loosely adapted from the 1831 short story Le Chef-d'œuvre inconnu (The Unknown Masterpiece) by Honoré de Balzac,^[1] and set in present-day France, it tells how a famous old artist is stimulated to come out of retirement and do one last painting of a beautiful young woman. The film won the Grand Prix at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival.

Plot

A young aspiring artist, Nicolas, and his partner Marianne are introduced by the art dealer Porbus to the aged painter Frenhofer, who has been inactive for many years. Frenhofer lives in a grand château in the south of France with his young wife, Liz. The conversations are initially desultory until Porbus suggests that Frenhofer might want to paint the attractive Marianne. Porbus believes she could be what Frenhofer needs to complete his last piece, which was abandoned ten years ago when Liz was his model. Nicolas agrees to the idea, but Marianne becomes angry with him for not asking her first before promising the master that she would model. Nonetheless, she goes to the château the next day.

Work starts early the next morning in Frenhofer's isolated studio, consisting of continual pen and wash studies on paper of Marianne in different positions as he tries to capture the uniqueness of her body and the character of the woman within it. Over long days together, their relationship fluctuates, sometimes staying distant and sometimes becoming more relaxed. Frenhofer progresses to working in oils on canvas, and one day, he overpaints an unfinished study of Liz. When Liz sneaks into the studio one night and sees it, she is furious and hurt by the symbolism. As the object of Frenhofer's concentrated attention all day, mostly in silence, Marianne has time to rethink her relationship with Nicolas and decides she no longer needs him.

Eventually, Frenhofer finishes his picture, which the film audience never sees. Once complete, the image is too powerful for both Liz and Marianne. Frenhofer hides it in a recess, which he seals with bricks and mortar, and quickly paints an innocuous version in which the face of the model is unseen. Porbus is invited to a celebratory party, after which the changed Marianne breaks up with Nicolas.

Cast

Michel Piccoli as Édouard Frenhofer
Jane Birkin as Liz Frenhofer
Emmanuelle Béart as Marianne
David Bursztein [fr] as Nicolas Wartel
Marianne Denicourt as Julienne Wartel, Nicolas' sister
Gilles Arbona [fr] as Porbus
Bernard Dufour as the painter's hand

Production

Principal photography began from 7 July 1990 to 30 August 1990. ^[2]

Reception

The film won the Grand Prix at the 1991 Cannes Film Festival.^[3]

The film received critical acclaim, and occasioned much comment on Béart's extensive onscreen nudity and director Rivette's characteristic use of a long running time (almost four hours).

Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert added the film to his Great Movies collection in April 2009.^[4]

The film holds an approval rating of 100% on review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes based on 29 reviews, with a weighted average of 8.08/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "A sensual and hypnotic masterpiece, La Belle Noiseuse luxuriates in its four-hour run time while holding audience attention."^[5]

The Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa cited this movie as one of his 100 favorite films.^[6]

Alternative version

Rivette used alternative takes from the film and made changes in the scene order to produce a shorter, 125-minute version, La Belle Noiseuse: Divertimento, for television. This version was also released theatrically in some countries.