The Story Of Marie & Julien
Picture: C+
Sound: C+ Extras: C Film: B-
Julien (Jerry Radziwilowicz) is a clocksmith who has found
some ways to add excitement to his life to avoid the usual midlife crisis. He is blackmailing an older woman (Anne
Brochet) who calls herself “Madame X” while carrying on a very sexual
relationship with Marie (Emmanuelle Béart) that gets more and more charged as
it goes on. Add his criminal behavior
that causes him to get wackier and you have the crux of The Story Of Marie
& Julien, Jacques Rivette’s 2003 picture about a different kind of love
triangle.
That is not to suggest ménage-a-trios in any way, but
something psychological is being attempted here. The problem is that the film runs 150 minutes and gets too caught
up in its own intents. Additionally,
Béart may be beautiful, but how many films can she be an irresistible object of
desire before she ruins her career and trivializes her own womanhood? Though this film has some interesting
moments, it should have been shorter, but he’s the director and this is what he
wanted. Too bad its success is limited.
The anamorphically enhanced 1.85 X 1 image is consistent
in color and tone, but surprisingly lacks detail. William Lubtchansky’s cinematography focuses on browns and greens
in muted tones without having totally washed out colors. The Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo has a
surprising lack of surrounds for a recent production, which was a DTS
theatrical release. Extras include the
original French trailer and interviews with Rivette (just over 40 minutes) and
Béart (at 15:39) that tries to explain the film further.
- Nicholas Sheffo
