Jacques Rivette Double Feature: ‘Love On The Ground’ And ‘Up, Down, Fragile’

Three-hour runtimes can give even the most loyal film fans pause. Fans of Jacques Rivette will know he made a habit of directing extra-long movies. There’s no escaping it — no choosing the shorter film first (they’re the same length). Watch either of these movies, and it’s a commitment, and I’ve wanted to review them for a while. Despite knowing better (and having seen enough Rivette films to know he’s one of those directors that connects every time) I let it get pushed and can only blame myself for not having experienced them sooner.

Lesson learned, because Rivette’s track record continues to be impeccable. Starting with Love on the Ground (1983), Rivette throws viewers into the deep end by allowing them to suss out for themselves that they’re watching a play. What makes it difficult to tell at first is that, instead of taking place on a stage, the play is being performed in an apartment, with actors exiting and entering rooms and having to act like they can’t see the audience members standing in the doorways. This is how viewers are introduced to Emily (Jane Birkin) and Charlotte (Geraldine Chaplin) ‐- not as themselves but in character, until the play ends and one of the audience members reveals to them that he’s the playwright (Jean-Pierre Kalfon). Emily and Charlotte didn’t know the play was stolen and, under fear of being sued, they agree to meet with him.

It turns out that what he really wants is to put on the play himself. It ends up being very autobiographical, and the film then follows their week-long rehearsal process until opening night. A commentary on theater and what it means to commit to a part and where the lines get drawn between art and real life, Love on the Ground is full of doubles and voyeurs and is one of those exercises that could easily get tedious or too self-aware. What saves Love on the Ground from crossing that line is the film’s commitment to the characters, who don’t get lost in the twisty plot, and a willingness to throw in moments of the unexplainable that throw a spanner in the works and prevent the film from becoming too serious-minded. It all takes place in one of the most glorious houses ever constructed, with boldly painted walls and columns. Not a film to be watched distracted, but, at the end of the day, a beautiful film about female friendship.

Because that’s the other thing about Rivette films: the best roles are for women, and if Love on the Ground is a little highbrow, Up, Down, Fragile (1995) is my favorite kind of Rivette film: the kind that just asks viewers to spend time with three women who don’t necessarily have anything in common and see what happens. In ring one, you have Louise (Marianne Denicourt), who has Audrey Hepburn energy and just got out of a five-year coma. In ring two, you have Ninon (Nathalie Richard), who’s morally ambiguous and recently got a job as a delivery [moped] driver. And in ring three you have Ida (Laurence Côte), who’s trying to figure out the name of a song she recognizes from her childhood — low stakes but absolutely compelling mysteries starring three extremely charismatic actresses and, while it’s certainly an unconventional one, Up Down Fragile is technically a musical. The first real, clear-cut musical number doesn’t take place until about the one-hour mark, but dance fans especially will want to check this movie out. Also, Anna Karina (working with Rivette again, having previously starred in The Nun) has a small role as a singer.

Both of these movies come with commentaries by Professor and New York Film Festival director emeritus Richard Peña. As previously acknowledged, three hours is a long time but while Peña provides some good observations (especially in the commentary for Up, Down, Fragile where he compares the film to Stanley Donan musicals like Give a Girl a Break), he doesn’t fill the time. He does refer to what’s happening on screen, which is one of the advantages of a commentary over a video essay, but there’s a lot of dead air and, if I could’ve, I would’ve fast-forwarded over those sections to get to his remarks.

Love on the Ground and Up, Down, Fragile are available now on Blu-Ray from Cohen Media Group and Kino Lorber. Both are fantastic, if you’re sceptical or not always a fan of movies about the art-making process, start with Up, Down, Fragile (which is also a feel-good movie with fantastic dance breaks).