An Italian theatre company comes to Paris to put on a production of Pirandello’s play As You Desire Me. Camille, the main character in the play and also the girlfriend of the director and manager of the company, Ugo, is the only actress of French origin. Paris is filled with old memories: three years ago she had abandoned Pierre, whose love for her at the time had threatened her ambitions as an actress. Ugo also has his secrets: his quest for the manuscript of an unpublished Goldoni play which he wants to produce has also led him to Paris. Camille meets Pierre who now lives with another woman; Ugo makes the acquaintance of Dominique, known as Do, the daughter of the heir to an impressive collection of manuscripts. Old and new passions finally flare up in a battle for life and death in which each must make clear what he really wants, while the stage itself unveils a multitude of hidden truths.
154 min / Black & white, 35 mm
Director Jacques Rivette
/ Screenplay Jacques Rivette, Pascal Bonitzer, Christine Laurent
/ Dir. of Photography William Lubtchansky
/ Music Peggy Lee
/ Editor Nicole Lubtchansky
/ Producer Martine Marignac
/ Production Pierre Grise Productions
/ Cast Jeanne Balibar, Sergio Castellitto, Marianne Basler, Jacques Bonnaffé, Hélene de Fougerolles, Bruno Todeschini
Jacques Rivette (1928, Rouen) worked for the monthly Cahiers du Cinéma and was its Editor-in-Chief from 1963-1965. He made his debut in 1956 with the short film Le coup du berger after which, thanks to his more successful friends from the “New Wave”, he made his first feature film Paris nous appartient (1960). He became famous, however, with the film La réligieuse (1965), which was banned by the French censors and screened a year later in Cannes under a different title through the mediation of the Minister of Culture André Malraux. Other films include: L’amour fou (1970), Céline et Julie vont en bateau (1974), La bande des quatre (1989), La belle noiseuse (1991), Jeanne La Pucelle (1994) and Sécret défense (1998, screened that same year in Competition of the 34th Karlovy Vary IFF).
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