The Duchess of Langeais
a JACQUES RIVETTE picture
Synopsis
In Majorca, in 1823, a French general, Armand de Montriveau, overhears a cloistered nun singing in a chapel; he insists on speaking to her. She is Antoinette, for five years he has searched for her. Flash back to their meeting in Paris, he recently returned from Africa, she married and part of the highest society. She flirts with him, and soon he's captivated. His behavior is possessive, insistent. Then, it is her turn to become obsessed. Letters, balls, scandal, a kidnapping, and an ultimatum bring her to the cloister and him to melancholy. Whose steel proved sharper? Is it tragic or grotesque?
Trailer
Stills
Press
"Rivette conceives the story in the highest and most classical style; ultimately fascinating."
THE GUARDIAN
"Elegantly staged and meticulously paced, right down to the suspensefully extended penultimate act in which Armand is detained by two facetiously garrulous friends, Don't Touch the Axe, for all its austerity, offers a more satisfying and direct emotional reward than many of Rivette's films."
SIGHT & SOUND
"It is pure cinema, a masterpiece, driven to the hilt by Jacques Rivette, who rends the material in its complete respectfulness to the text, in its complete understanding of the text, of the actors, and of their melancholy, absolutely vital little play."
MUBI
Festivals
& Awards
Berlin International Film Festival
Nominee for Golden Bear
Toronto International Film Festival
Gaudí Awards
Nominee
Chicago International Film Festival
Portland International Film Festival
Karlovy Vary International Film Festival
Buenos Aires International Festival of Independent Cinema
Cast & Crew
| Jeanne Balibar | |
|---|---|
| Guillaume Depardieu | |
| Bulle Ogier | |
| Michel Piccoli | |
| Anne Cantineau | |
| Marc Barbé | |
| Thomas Durand | |
| Nicolas Bouchaud | |
| Mathias Jung | |
| Julie Judd |
| Director | Jacques Rivette |
|---|---|
| Screenplay | Pascal Bonitzer, Christine Laurent, Jacques Rivette |
| Based on the story of | Honoré de Balzac |
| Producers | Roberto Cicutto, Martine Marignac, Luigi Musini Ermanno Olmi, Maurice Tinchant |
| Cinematography | William Lubtchansky |
| Editing | Nicole Lubtchansky |
| Music | Pierre Allio |
| Production Design | Emmanuel de Chauvigny |
| Costume Design | Maïra Ramedhan Levi |
| Sound | Florian Eidenbenz |
Releases