Duelle
UW Cinematheque 821 University Ave., UW Vilas Hall, Room 4070, Madison, Wisconsin
press release: France | 1976 | DCP | 121 min. | French with English subtitles
Director: Jacques Rivette; Cast: Juliet Berto, Bulle Ogier, Jean Babilée
Rivette followed up his celebrated Celine and Julie Go Boating with another fantasy about two women, this time plunging headlong into dream logic. Two goddesses battle in contemporary Paris over a magic diamond that will allow the winner to remain on Earth. Rapturous and enigmatic, Duelle has frequently been cited as a precursor to the work of David Lynch.
New French Restorations: Each month of our fall calendar features recently rediscovered gems from French cinema history that will be shown in newly restored versions. Three of the selections, Agnes Varda’s One Sings, the Other Doesn’t, Diane Kurys’ Peppermint Soda and Jacques Rivette’s Duelle, show the directors working in the 1970s and delivering some of their finest achievements. Poet and filmmaker Jean Cocteau is represented by his post-war classic Les Parents Terribles, one of only a handful of features Cocteau ever directed.
All Cinematheque screenings are free and open to the public.