MovieChat Forums > Céline et Julie vont en bateau: Phantom Ladies Over Paris (1974) Discussion > Similarities with other Books and Movies

Similarities with other Books and Movies

posted 15 years ago by Eumenides_0
3 replies | jump to latest

I've been having fun making connections between Celine and Julie go Boating and as many other works I can. So far I've got:

Julie chasing Celine in a hurry on a hot afternoon is clearly inspired by Alice's Adventures in Wonderland. And the fact we don't know who is dreaming who may be a nod to the Red King episode in Through the Looking-Glass.

The house repeating the same scene perpetually was reminiscent of Adolfo Bioy Casares' The Invention of Morel; the fragmented narrative inside the house also reminds me of Last Year at Marienbad (which may have been inspired by Casares' novel).

The grotesque make-up the house dwellers use in the last segment is similar to the creepy make-up the Red Room dwellers use in David Lynch's Twin Peaks, and the Mystery Man in Lost Higway (and the house, with its mysterious people is similar to the Black Lodge too) And the story of the two women solving a mystery wrapped in dreams is similar to Mulholland Drive.

The two actresses playing the same nurse also brings to mind Buñuel's That Obscure Object of Desire.

Sophie trying to kill the child with candy reminded me of the mnother poisoning the girl in The Sixth Sense.

Does anyone else see other connections?

This world is a comedy to those that think, a tragedy to those that feel.

[–] Ethan_Ford 14 years ago

Rivette was a huge fan of Hawks so there is definitely a connection to Gentlemen prefer blondes where the two main protagonists are both female and they swap roles at one point in the film as do Céline and Julie. He also admired Frank Tashlin whose manic comedy is obviously an influence,in particular Artists and models (1956) which features an eerie scene in an old haunted mansion. The dream like use of Parisian locations and the constant use of interitles such as "le lendemain matin..." evoke Louis Feuillade,not to mention the fact that they both favoured films of an excessive running time.

The main literary influence is Henry James,particularly his short stories The Romance of certain old clothes and The other house,also The Turn of the screw with its ghost-like ambience,haunted children and spooky house. Rivette was also a big fan of Borges whose obsessions with different levels of time,identity and mortality are reflected throughout the film.

All you need to make a film are a girl and a gun

[–] Felonious-Punk 14 years ago

As far as influences, I got tons of connections to the Marx Brothers, for instance when they pretend they are mirror images of each other, and also Julie's curly red hair- LOL. I love those two!

As far as movies influenced by "Celine and Julie", I'd say "Wayne's World", for example the way Wayne and Garth sit and watch us watching them, and the fact that Wayne can change the ending. "Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure" does the same thing, as does "Run Lola Run" with another redheaded girl.

*This is a place to write anything I think is important or smart or cute. It ends all my comments.*

[–] TheCineSinge 8 years ago

Cléo de 5 a 7 (Agnes Varda)

What with the tarot cards, the play between past-present-future, the style, and Paris. And, of course, the young women at the center of each film. A phrase containing "Cléo" something or other also appears briefly on a bookcase in the library in this film. Just a thing I noticed as my mind was already set up to draw links after the tarot cards...