Jacques Rivette has an apparent tendency to create some really long films. The only other film of his that I’ve seen is La Belle Noisuese, which is four hours long -- and the film consists almost entirely of Michel Piccoli painting -- and arguing with -- Emmanuelle Beart and her naked body. The film does have insights into the tensions between artist and model, and it’s fun to see Emmanuelle in the nude, but this is not a film for the average individual.

Another genuinely long film is Rivette’s latest, Va Savoir. The film is a French romantic farce, but the story does not move quickly... it’s two and a half hours, pretty damn long for a romantic comedy. Nevertheless, Va Savoir isn’t too bad of a film, and if you’re interested in such French romances, is fairly entertaining.

The film embraces two worlds; that of the theater, and that of, of course, romance. A couple, an Italian man and a French woman, are part of an acting troupe (headed by the man) that are currently performing an Italian play in a small Paris theater. I find this odd for some reason, but I suppose there may be enough Italian speakers in Paris.........

The couple have worries. The woman is not able to feel convinced about her role, and the man is worried about the success of the play. And soon, there are even more worries to contend with.

The woman looks up an old flame, who apparently was a very predictable sort, since she finds him sitting with the same old boring newspaper on the same old park-bench, even though she hasn’t seen him in three years. While this meeting satisfies the woman, the man gets a little loopy. He obviously hasn’t quite gotten over this woman, even though he’s been living with someone for the past two years. What’s funny is that this woman seems to know what’s going on, and goes along with his irrational fancy. She doesn’t even seem to object, at least not vocally,when the boyfriend actually invites the old girlfriend to dinner.

The actress’s boyfriend finds himself in a little predicament as well. He is searching for a legendary rare play by the writer whose play the acting troupe is currently performing. From what I can recall, the guy had read a letter supposedly written by the author, referring obliquely about his mystery play. He goes to a “museum” dedicated to the playwright; actually, this is merely a flat owned by a widow of an ardent fan. The boyfriend meets up with the widow’s cute, nubile teenage daughter, and the two begin a bit of a flirtation, involving intellect, conversation, and the usual things.

The teenage girl’s half-brother also has a little obsessive flirtation, of sorts -- with the girlfriend of the actress’s old flame! The woman acts as if this kid is a nuisance, but developments ensue.......

So what we end up having here is a bit of romantic musical chairs. Clearly, nobody is truly faithful, although unlike an American film, which would treat such romantic indiscretions as either melodrama, or probably even a thriller, Va Savoir is pure fluff, meant to give you humor and delight. Morality (which would surface in an American film) never comes up, and despite all the opportunities for disaster, everything ends happily ( I don’t really consider this a spoiler -- it’s quite apparent from the tone that nothing really bad is going to happen).

There are some funny things, the funniest being when the old flame locks the actress in a room in his flat. It doesn’t sound funny, but the scene is amusing, just because we see this guy still feeling a little nutty over this lost love. And of course, the actress has to find a way out of the flat, which she does, eventually.

Anyone who likes sexy French couples (and sexy French individuals) will probably enjoy the eye candy. Nobody here is a slick model, but certainly the mere fact that they are French, and are more romantic, helps. I think the widow’s daughter (who is called Do) is a pretty hot young chick, and the actress character is also quite attractive in that middle aged, tomboyish sort of way (also helps that we see a full-frontal shot of her in the shower --heeheehee!).

Even thought the film is slow, it is well put-together. The way that the characters are introduced is interesting. For the first 45 minutes or so, as the six major characters, as well as the supporting ones, are introduced, the film almost appears improvised, or casual. You figure that you already have a clue as to who all the major players will be, but then a supporting character that we see for about a moment suddenly becomes a major player, and then you might wonder if there is indeed a focus. Of course there is... Rivette just likes to take his time, and knows exactly what he is doing. Nothing in the narrative is particularity awkward, even if the subject matter is ultimately frivolous.

This is just a silly romantic farce, and even Va Savoir’s length can’t disguise that fact. This is genuine fluff, the sort that tries to give us romance, and a happy smile at the end. There is no deep meaning, and I don’t think that there was any intention of it. That can be an issue for certain viewers. I know, myself, that the film didn’t make much of an impact on my memery, possibly because the film was too light, and wasn’t particularily melodramatic or controversial. This is a shame, really ...... it’s probably better to fondly remember silly French love than some depressing or controversial subject matter. In any case, while the film may strike some as rather overlong for its frivolous subject matter, Va Savoir is a good example of French romantic farce.


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good Date Movie