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Discussion: Killer of Sheep
In this episode of the Errata Movie Podcast we talk about a great American film, Charles Burnett's debut feature Killer of Sheep (1977).
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The new PFA schedule is up, and I'm thrilled to see that a Jacques Rivette series begins in November. But wait there's more. I scanned the Rivette schedule looking for one item in particular, and found it right up near the front:
Jacques Rivette, The Night Watchman (Claire Denis, 1990)
Early in her career, director Claire Denis worked as an assistant to Rivette. In this documentary for the television series Cinéma, de notre temps, she pays tribute to her mentor and longtime friend, and also to the great critic and former editor of Cahiers du cinéma Serge Daney, who interviews Rivette while accompanying him on his peregrinations across his favorite set: the city of Paris. The critic and the critic-turned-director visit the city's cafes and ride on the Métro as their conversation touches on questions of art and ethics and the history of the French New Wave; sometimes the answers to Daney's probing questions come not in words but in the fleeting expressions on Rivette's face. “Between the director and her two brilliant, loquacious subjects, there are three very fine minds on display in this film” (Film Society of Lincoln Center).
I had not noticed that. Thanks, Rob. Is this something you've seen and can recommend, or one of your holy grails, or what?
For several years now I've considered Rivette the largest directorial blind spot in my viewing history. Never seen anything by him. Shall rectify.
Rivette is a blind spot for me, too, and I've really been hoping to catch up. I think I've only seen Va Savoir, sadly. I enjoyed it, but everyone tells me it's Rivette light.
And Denis may be my favorite filmmaker, but I've never seen this documentary. Cinéma, de notre temps is often good — one filmmaker is invited to document another, such as Olivier Assayas on Hou Hsiao-hsien, or Chantal Akerman on Chantal Akerman — but it's hard to imagine a better combo than Denis on Rivette, because of the stature of both filmmakers and their obvious connection. This film is not on DVD, it's rarely screened, and I never realized until I read this capsule that it prominently features Serge Daney!
So it's a triple threat. Can't keep me away from this one.
You've a blind spot, Brian has a blind spot, I've a blind spot; let's all stumble and stagger over to PFA to see what we might see!
I'm envious, as I am so frequently when I'm eavesdropping on my Bay Area cine-amigos. I missed this at the Denis retro in Toronto a few years back.
Useless trivium: In The 400 Blows, in the only scene in which the Doinels are a "happy family," they go to the movies to see Rivette's first, Paris Belongs To Us. Interestingly, the movie hadn't even been finished yet! But Truffaut was trying to give the unfinished film a plug so Rivette could get the financing he needed to complete it.
It's an interesting film--kinda claustrophobic and paranoid, with an obsessed Langian conspiracy running through it. I've seen little Rivette, but it made me want to see more.
Oh, nice bit of trivia, Girish. It's been a while since I've seen The 400 Blows, but I do vaguely remember the family's trip to the movies. It's Rivette, eh? Cool.
By the way, I'm often envious of your drives to the Cinematheque Ontario. I was glad that we got the Sembene retro that you've raved about, but now I've basically missed the whole thing! I'll spare you the details of how I was literally outside the PFA as Black Girl was starting and yet failed to catch the show.
Rob, my drives to Toronto have gotten much less frequent over the years, partly because of the longer waits at the border and partly because it can often take up, all told, an entire day. But I try to get up there once a month if I can, usually to take in something hard-to-see; caught Warhol's double-projected Chelsea Girls there a couple of weeks back. But I'll take residency in the Bay Area over my proximity to Toronto any day, no question!
If you're taking recommendations, I'd say the best Rivette primers are:
Paris Belongs to Us - gives an idea of Rivette's fondness for conspiracy theories.
Céline and Julie Go Boating - for his picaresque qualities, mostly in terms of Paris as a place for re-imagined adventure.
L'amour par terre - for his recurring expositions on theater and the nature of performance. La Belle Noiseuse on the other hand, is more about the nature of the artistic process.
I also highly recommend The Story of Marie and Julien (my favorite film of 2004!) and Haut/Bas/Fragile.
Hurlevent is a little atypical for Rivette, the closest association I can think of is La Religeuse, it's more about creating atmosphere and mood (which is true for most of his films, but these are especially so).
Lastly, even at some six hours, the Joan the Maid being screened is still the same cut version that was released on DVD by Facets. I'm not saying skip it (it's still a very good film), but you can always catch up on home video, and you won't be missing something rare if you can't make it to the screenings.
Recommendations are always welcome. Thanks, acq. These will help, since I doubt I'll be able to see everything. Céline and Julie and Paris Belongs to Us are at the top of my list, and I know you're not alone in listing Marie and Julien near the top of 2004 films.
The rain made me lazy and homebound the other evening so I didn't make it over to PFA to see these films. Did you make it afterall? Any thoughts?