Jacques Rivette's Duelle is a challenging and moody fantasy film telling the story of a battle between two otherworldly forces who are permitted to spend 40 days on earth. The Queen of the Night and the Queen of the Sun have arrived in an eerily unpopulated Paris, seeking control over the magic diamond that will allow the winner of their feud to remain on earth for eternity. What is important to understand when sitting down to watch Jacques Rivette's Duelle is that this is a film far more interested in creating an atmosphere of suspense, mystery and fear , with story being only an afterthought to mood and artistic expression. Haunting yet understated by today's standards, Duelle is dripping with mood and feels very much like an homage to Val Lewton's films, particularly The Seventh Victim, similar in the way that it isolates its characters, with Duelle making the presence of the two Queen's more unsettling. The menace of Duelle is ambiguious but extremely felt, as Rivette's narrative remains rather opaque from start to finish. While i'd be lying if I said I undestood much of what Rivette was trying to say, It was fascinating to see a film where the female characters take over the dominate role, with the only male character being the man these two goddesses are pursuing. Jacques Rivette's Duelle may have left me a little lost at times but it's an artistic achievement in itself, due the lush cinematography, imaginative fantasy elements, and atmosphere.
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AuthorLove of all things cinema brought me here. Archives
June 2023
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