MovieChat Forums > La Belle Noiseuse (1991) Discussion > A film Americans could never make.

A film Americans could never make.


They would have the old guy having an erection or something.

"Ce qui n'est pas clair n'est pas français" - Rivarol

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True, and Frenhofer would have been a gangster or a pimp on the side driving down a Paris boulevard with his car bouncin, bass booming to the rhythms of Dr Dre, with his art lovin hoes in the back seat giving attitude, and then he pulls over, slaps some ass, goes and finds a party, and everyone's like, "Frenhofer's in the hizouse."

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I just watched it for the first time. The film's langorous pace and deep immersion into character are simply not what American films are about these days, which is a shame.

If there's a word I would use to describe this picture, it's tactile. You can almost touch and feel everything in it. This is greatly aided by the use of sound, with virtually no music score, and the sound effects convey texture and environment remarkably well. The long takes of the sketching where you hear nothing but the scratching of the pencil or pen on the paper almost convey to you what that paper or canvas must feel like.

By the end of the film you feel like you've lived in the artist's house for a few days. To me, the whole movie seems set right at this time of year as well. (I have no idea if that is what Rivette intended or not, but the movie seems immersed in the glowing final month of summer, one of the most beautiful and yet saddest times of year. Again note the evocative use of sound: the humming of insects in many scenes; the distant calls of crickets and owls during the scenes set at night. You can almost feel late August/early September humidity).

One of a kind movie. And these days, I think that's a good thing.

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Haha, so true. Then they'd probably start miscegenating or something. Disgusting.

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Because getting an erection from seeing a gorgeous young naked woman is something so out of the ordinary. Get off that horse of yours called Pretentious.

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And Thank God!!

I'm not American but this movie is the height of faux art indulgence.

It is has all the pretense of art but no substance.

This movie could only be made in France because it is such a loving self-portrait of the idealized French "Artist".

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...and as though France was a monolithic block made of pretentious people! Come on, people! And I also find American bashing such as the OP's sterile and extremely prejudiced. There are too many ethnic-based attacks on IMdB and it greatly affects and debases the climate of that forum. It's nice to have such a wide freedom of speech here, but that does not mean that we need to put up with discussions that demonize whole groups based on ethnicity, language, race, religion or customs. None of these should constitute arguments for making a point, unless the movie specifically addresses one or many of these issues.

And in La Belle Noiseuse, only someone driven by some perverted pleasure at ridiculing Americans could possibly come up with such a topic. I get what the OP was trying to say: that there used to be fewer movies daring to treat a subject that could be so easily diverted towards some stupid comedic attempts. The thing is, I am shocked by his/her simplistic view on the USA, which are definitely a much richer greenhouse for new, fresh ideas which are just as original nowadays than those emerging from countries with a longer tradition in leading artistic movements and theories. Anybody with an open mind and good eyesight can see that American movie makers have come a long way and caught up with the French Nouvelle Vague a long time ago already. I would even dare to say that modern French cinema has now lost its momentum and is no longer where interesting new cinema is made, unfortunately. Current French cinema borrows heavily from Hollywood models and recipes. Why? I can't tell. Personally, the percentage of truly original and innovative movies made in France used to be a lot larger. I really don't know the reason for sure. Not that there is a lack of French talent, as demonstrated by Hollywood even awarding a barely known French director (in the USA, that is), Michel Hazanavicius, for The Artist in 2011, with well-deserved Oscars, including for Best Picture!

In any case, I came to this thread because I feel that there are too many similar bashing at whole countries, which should be more strongly discouraged. It's counterproductive and only leads to dead ends and more hatred. Which is the thing we should hate the most!

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It's nice to have such a wide freedom of speech here, but that does not mean that we need to put up with discussions that demonize whole groups based on ethnicity, language, race, religion or customs.


Demonizing whole groups, as you say, is regrettable (and it's quite common on these boards, that's for sure). But if we were only allowed to speak decently, there would be no freedom of speech anymore. Plus, unlike you, I think it's needed. Because as long as different cultures will exist, there will always be generalizations, whether they're wrong or not ; not having them anymore would mean the end of cultural diversity, which would mean globalization winning, and that wouldn't be a good thing, trust me.

So, did the OP's intelligence shine in his comment ? Nope. But that's just it, harmless idiocy. Another guy makes fun of French people on the same thread... I'm French, and I don't find them traumatizing. :)

I would even dare to say that modern French cinema has now lost its momentum and is no longer where interesting new cinema is made, unfortunately.


That's a nice way to put it. Our cinema has been moribund for thirty years now, and we can count our good directors on the fingers of one hand (Audiard, Boukhrief, Rochant, Bonello, Ozon, and, maybe, young Thomas Cailley...).

Current French cinema borrows heavily from Hollywood models and recipes. Why? I can't tell. Personally, the percentage of truly original and innovative movies made in France used to be a lot larger. I really don't know the reason for sure.


Simple : cultural disintegration. I mentioned globalization earlier in my comment. When french, japanese or italian cinema, under the influence of american cinema, desperately try to imitate it. In the late 80s, a lot of people thought Luc Besson was bringing with him a new generation of french movie makers. I think the opposite. He made a few good movies, like Le Grand Bleu or Nikita, but I don't see anything french in them. It could have been german, for all I know. Since then, we've been living in the fear of looking unfashionable, uncool in comparison of Hollywood, and it has disastrous consequences. Like when Japanese try to make a space-opera. Not their thing. And the more you try, the dumber you look.

___________
- Booker, are you afraid of God ?
- No. But I'm afraid of you.

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Yup - time for some good old snotty American bashing. As if they were some kind of homogenous entity.



"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan

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You magnificent cinephile bastard you. We miss you. Rest in peace.

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