La Belle Noiseuse

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La Belle Noiseuse ★★★½ Divertimento; The Beautiful Troublemaker 1990

The connections between art and life are explored in this beautiful (and long) drama. Creatively crippled, an aging painter has left unfinished a masterpiece work, entitled “La Belle Noiseuse,” for ten years. When an admiring younger artist and his beautiful lover arrive for a visit, the painter is newly inspired by the young woman and makes her the model and muse for his masterwork. The film details every nuance of the work from the first to the last brushstroke and the battle of wills between artist and model over the symbiotic creative process. Based on a novella by Honore Balzac. French with subtitles. “Divertimento” is actually a recut and shortened version (126 minutes) of the original film. 240m/C VHS, DVD . FR Michel Piccoli, Emmanuelle Beart, Jane Birkin, David Bursztein, Marianne (Cuau) Denicourt; D: Jacques Rivette; W: Jacques Rivette, Christine Laurent, Pascal Bonitzer; C: William Lubtchansky. Cannes '91: Grand Jury Prize; L.A. Film Critics '91: Foreign Film.