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 Paris nous appartient [Paris Belongs to Us] 

What grade would you give this film?
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 Paris nous appartient [Paris Belongs to Us] 
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Post Paris nous appartient [Paris Belongs to Us]
Paris Belongs to Us

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Paris Belongs to Us (French: Paris nous appartient, sometimes translated as Paris Is Ours) is a 1960 mystery film directed by Jacques Rivette and starring Betty Schneider. Begun in 1957 and completed three years later, it was then-critic Rivette's first full-length film as a director and one of the first works of the French New Wave, though it was not released theatrically until 1961.

The plot centres around a group of actors rehearsing Shakespeare's Pericles for a performance that never happens. The film operates as a depiction of bohemian Parisian life in the late 1950s, framed in a frightening world-view coloured by anxiety and fatigue, paranoia and disillusionment.

Like fellow Cahiers du cinéma critic Eric Rohmer, Rivette did not find popularity with his early films and, unlike many of his New Wave compatriots, he remained at Cahiers for most of the core New Wave era (1958–1968) and completed only two other features during the period.

The film features cameos by fellow New Wave directors Claude Chabrol (who co-produced the film), Jean-Luc Godard, Jacques Demy and Rivette himself.

Writing in the film journal Senses of Cinema, critic Hamish Ford said of the film: "...for me at least, his debut feature is a perfect film in its way. If the first work of a long career should, at least in the oeuvre-charting rear-vision mirror, offer an appropriately characteristic or even perhaps idiosyncratic entry point into a distinct film-world, then Paris nous appartient is indeed a perfect 'first' Rivette in its combination of formal daring and conceptual elusiveness."

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Tue Oct 16, 2007 3:09 pm
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loyalfromlondon
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Post Re: Paris nous appartient [Paris Belongs to Us]
It's like the New Wave version of a mystery/conspiracy thriller, and in that regard it works really well. The black and white cinematography suits the tone perfectly, even if the very poor quality of the film makes it hard to tell, and it's supported by some disorienting editing and a great use of light and shadows. There's also a really terrific score, probably one of the best for this genre. Even though the film runs 140 minutes, it never really feels boring, as the conversations between characters are gripping enough to keep the viewer's interest. The story is rather strange, as it appears to be non-linear and occasionally irrelevant, but it seems to work out at the end. However, unfortunately, the end is a complete disappointment, as it attempts to hammer home some political viewpoints that just end up being confusing, and then coasts to a unsatisfactory finish without really tying up any of the loose ends. It's an interesting watch, and you could do a lot worse, but it's no masterpiece.

Also, as a side note, the physical quality of the film is pretty terrible - probably since it's only on video, and a very crappy one at that - and the English subtitles are impossible to read at times, because they end up being white on white. It just ruined the viewing for me a bit.

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Sun Oct 21, 2007 5:18 pm
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