Jacques Rivette is a major figure of the French New Wave, though compared to his various contemporaries, his films have had little exposure and availability in the United States. Part of this is due to his unconventional narrative approach, and also the fact that of his first five films, only two were shorter than three hours long (Out 1 in its initial form ran almost thirteen hours). After the success of his 1974 film Céline and Julie Go Boating, Rivette took an about-face from his loose, improvisational style with the conception of a four-part series of films to be called Filles de Feu (Girls of Fire).
The films were to be shot all in one stretch, with three weeks devoted to the production of each installment. All were to involve a battle between goddesses of the sun and moon for a magical blue diamond. What would differ from film-to-film was the genre, and the series would consist of a film noir, a pirate adventure, a romance, and a musical. Though the script, image, and acting style were to be strictly controlled, the presence of live musicians improvising music on camera during many of the scenes would help to keep things fresh and open.
After completing Duelle and Noroît, the first two films of the series (eventually retitled Scenes From A Parallel Life), Rivette suffered a nervous breakdown upon starting the third, The Story of Marie and Julien, and the project was abandoned. While he would eventually make a musical, and revisit Marie & Julien in 2000, the goddess storyline had been removed from both.
Duelle (the film noir of the series) stars Juliet Berto and Bulle Ogier (both from Céline and Julie Go Boating) as the main femme fatales, joined by others in front of and behind the camera who had worked with Rivette before. This is also the first film in an eventual 30 year collaboration between Rivette and cinematographer William Lubtchansky, and the images have much more portent and style than the mostly hand-held shots found in Rivette's previous features.
The film takes place in what comes off as a dark fantasy version of Paris, shot on location but in unrecognizable places, with allusions to various esteemed film noirs, including The Big Sleep, Kiss Me Deadly, and The Lady from Shanghai, the costume and set design giving off a feel of 1940's Hollywood glamour. In addition, the entire proceedings are haunted by the influence of poet/playwright/filmmaker Jean Cocteau, a major figure in Rivette's career development.
While not successful upon release, the two completed films are now regarded as high points in Rivette's long career, placing him once again outside the mainstream of French and international cinema. Unfortunately, they are nearly impossible to see, only available on DVD in France and Japan. Luckily, an enterprising cinephile has translated the dialogue and created subtitles so English language speakers with advanced internet skills can acquire and enjoy the film as well.
Duelle runs 118 minutes.
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