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Jacques Rivette: The New Wave Director Who Turned Actors Into Co-Writers
Jacques Rivette (1928‑2016) was a French filmmaker and critic whose career spanned more than five decades and whose films are noted for their long running times, improvisational style, and the central role of actors in shaping narrative.
Rivette began his career as a film critic for the influential magazine Cahiers du Cinéma, where he wrote the 1961 essay “On Abjection.” He later became the magazine’s editor in the early 1960s. While working as a critic, he also made short films, including the 1956 piece Le Coup du Berger, which is regarded by François Truffaut as a foundational New Wave work. He moved to Paris in 1949, where he met future New Wave colleagues such as François Truffaut, Jean‑Luc Godard, Éric Rohmer, and Claude Chabrol.
Rivette’s first feature, Paris Belongs to Us (1961), was shot in 1958 but released after the first wave of New Wave films had already entered the public. The mystery‑drama follows a group of young people whose lives are disrupted by unexplained deaths. His second feature, La Religieuse (1966), was adapted from Denis Diderot’s novel and was banned by the Gaullist government for its anticlerical content. The film was eventually released in 1967 after a public battle with French censors.
The 1969 film L’Amour fou marked a turning point. Rivette co‑wrote the script with Marilù Parolini and began to experiment with improvisation and actor participation. The film’s structure is loosely based on a rehearsal of an Andromaque production, and the actors—Jean‑Pierre Kalfon, Bulle Ogier, and others—created much of their own dialogue. Rivette’s editorial approach was to remain a passive observer during shooting, leaving the final narrative to the editing process.
In 1971, Rivette released Out 1 (also known as Out 1: Noli Me Tangere), a 13‑hour experimental mystery that drew on Honoré de Balzac’s La Comédie humaine. The film was shot in eight parts and is considered a landmark of long‑form cinema. Rivette later edited a shorter 4½‑hour version, Out 1: Spectre, which has been screened more frequently. The two versions differ in shot selection and narrative emphasis, illustrating Rivette’s belief that editing can create distinct films from the same footage.
The 1970s saw Rivette continue to blend improvisation with thematic exploration. Céline and Julie Go Boating (1974) is a surreal, summery comedy that showcases his interest in urban absurdity. His 1984 film Love on the Ground (L’Amour par terre) centers on two actresses, Jane Birkin and Geraldine Chaplin, and uses their performances to explore love and existential crisis.
After a nervous breakdown that halted a planned four‑film series in the mid‑1970s, Rivette’s output slowed until the early 1980s. He entered a partnership with producer Martine Marignac, who produced all of his subsequent films. This period produced La Belle Noiseuse (1991), a biographical drama about the painter Édouard Manet that received international praise. Later works include Merry‑Go‑Round (1993), The Story of Marie and Julien (2003), and Around a Small Mountain (2009). Rivette retired in 2009, and it was later revealed that early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease had made filmmaking increasingly difficult.
Rivette’s films are collectively about 65 hours long, a figure that underscores his reputation for extended runtimes. His style is characterized by loose narratives, extensive improvisation, and a focus on actors—particularly actresses—as co‑writers of the story. The long duration of his films allows for a gradual unfolding of character and theme, while his editing choices often produce distinct versions of the same material.
Rivette’s legacy is that of a filmmaker who challenged conventional storytelling, embraced the creative agency of actors, and expanded the possibilities of cinematic form. His work remains a subject of study for scholars of the French New Wave and for filmmakers interested in the relationship between improvisation, editing, and narrative structure.
Rivette began his career as a film critic for the influential magazine Cahiers du Cinéma, where he wrote the 1961 essay “On Abjection.” He later became the magazine’s editor in the early 1960s. While working as a critic, he also made short films, including the 1956 piece Le Coup du Berger, which is regarded by François Truffaut as a foundational New Wave work. He moved to Paris in 1949, where he met future New Wave colleagues such as François Truffaut, Jean‑Luc Godard, Éric Rohmer, and Claude Chabrol.
Rivette’s first feature, Paris Belongs to Us (1961), was shot in 1958 but released after the first wave of New Wave films had already entered the public. The mystery‑drama follows a group of young people whose lives are disrupted by unexplained deaths. His second feature, La Religieuse (1966), was adapted from Denis Diderot’s novel and was banned by the Gaullist government for its anticlerical content. The film was eventually released in 1967 after a public battle with French censors.
The 1969 film L’Amour fou marked a turning point. Rivette co‑wrote the script with Marilù Parolini and began to experiment with improvisation and actor participation. The film’s structure is loosely based on a rehearsal of an Andromaque production, and the actors—Jean‑Pierre Kalfon, Bulle Ogier, and others—created much of their own dialogue. Rivette’s editorial approach was to remain a passive observer during shooting, leaving the final narrative to the editing process.
In 1971, Rivette released Out 1 (also known as Out 1: Noli Me Tangere), a 13‑hour experimental mystery that drew on Honoré de Balzac’s La Comédie humaine. The film was shot in eight parts and is considered a landmark of long‑form cinema. Rivette later edited a shorter 4½‑hour version, Out 1: Spectre, which has been screened more frequently. The two versions differ in shot selection and narrative emphasis, illustrating Rivette’s belief that editing can create distinct films from the same footage.
The 1970s saw Rivette continue to blend improvisation with thematic exploration. Céline and Julie Go Boating (1974) is a surreal, summery comedy that showcases his interest in urban absurdity. His 1984 film Love on the Ground (L’Amour par terre) centers on two actresses, Jane Birkin and Geraldine Chaplin, and uses their performances to explore love and existential crisis.
After a nervous breakdown that halted a planned four‑film series in the mid‑1970s, Rivette’s output slowed until the early 1980s. He entered a partnership with producer Martine Marignac, who produced all of his subsequent films. This period produced La Belle Noiseuse (1991), a biographical drama about the painter Édouard Manet that received international praise. Later works include Merry‑Go‑Round (1993), The Story of Marie and Julien (2003), and Around a Small Mountain (2009). Rivette retired in 2009, and it was later revealed that early symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease had made filmmaking increasingly difficult.
Rivette’s films are collectively about 65 hours long, a figure that underscores his reputation for extended runtimes. His style is characterized by loose narratives, extensive improvisation, and a focus on actors—particularly actresses—as co‑writers of the story. The long duration of his films allows for a gradual unfolding of character and theme, while his editing choices often produce distinct versions of the same material.
Rivette’s legacy is that of a filmmaker who challenged conventional storytelling, embraced the creative agency of actors, and expanded the possibilities of cinematic form. His work remains a subject of study for scholars of the French New Wave and for filmmakers interested in the relationship between improvisation, editing, and narrative structure.
