Paris nous appartient

Jacques Rivette’s first feature is a daring work which pushes formal, narrative and visual boundaries in a manner akin to his New Wave contemporaries, but also in a way unique to himself.

Anne (Betty Schneider) comes to Paris to study an English degree but is soon distracted by her brother, who introduces her to his circle of intellectual and bohemian friends, including the theatre director Gérard (Giani Esposito) and the American ex-pat journalist Philip (Daniel Crohem). She learns of the mysterious suicide of the Spanish musician Juan, a former member of their entourage. With her interest perked, Anne is drawn further into the fold by Gérard who casts her in his troubled production of Shakespeare’s Pericles. In the meantime Philip informs her of an international conspiracy linked to Juan’s death and she soon realises that those around her are in danger of meeting a similar fate.

Rivette delivers a complex and multi-layered film that captures an anxiety and disquiet of the time, with references to McCarthyism, Franco and fascism, well before others would reflect on the late-50s paranoia that infected Europe. His image of Paris is striking, but in comparison to the visions of youthful flair and energy of Godard and Truffaut, Rivette brings to the fore the alienation and menace so characteristic of a metropolis. Comparisons to the films of Antonioni and Lang or the writing of Kafka are apt, as Rivette creates a menacing world seemingly desolate yet brimming with energy.
The film took 3 years to complete but was well worth the wait and perhaps stands out as the great collective work of the New Wave group with Truffaut and Chabrol producing, while the latter has a cameo role in the film alongside Jacques Demy. Look out also for a memorable appearance by Jean-Luc Godard in cheeky form.