| PRODUCT DETAILS | | The Story of Marie and Julien |  | |
The Story of Marie and Julien
Julien (Radwilowicz) is a man who repairs clocks and is in the process of blackmailing a woman known only as Madame X (Brochet). Julien is in love with Marie (Béart), who he once met at a party and has dreamt of ever since. When they bump into each other in the street she too is keen to renew their acquaintance and soon moves into Julien's rambling old house. Slowly, it becomes apparent that there's something strange about Marie. Madame X helps Julien gradually realize that he has to uncover Marie's secret - and by doing so face losing her.
Manufacturer: Koch Lorber Films
Price Range: $14.35 - $29.98
 The Story of Marie and Julien
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| User Reviews |  | Rivette's Histoire de Marie et Julien.
rating: 5
Acclaimed experimental French film director Jacques Rivette is best known for his films La Religieuse (The Nun) (1965), Céline et Julie vont en bateau (Céline and Julie Go Boating / Céline and Julie Lose Their Minds) (1974), La Belle Noiseuse (The Beautiful Troublemaker) (1991), and The Story of Marie and Julien (Story of Marie and Julien) (2003). With a running time of 151 minutes, The Story of Marie and Julien tells the story of a man who repairs clocks, Julien (Jerzy Radziwilowicz), his mysterious love interest Marie (Emmanuelle Béart), and the woman he is blackmailing, Madame X (Anne Brochet). Julien lives alone in Paris with his cat, but dreams of Marie. Soonafter making a date with her, he asks Marie to move in with him. Her boyfriend is dead, and her past is clouded in mystery. Although they fall in love, Marie remains aloof, fearing that Julien will soon lose her and his memory of her. This prompts Julien to explore Marie's past with the help of madam X. Ultimately, Rivette's haunting drama explores the nature of love and relationships. The love scenes between Julien and Marie reveal Rivette's genius for combining sensuality with French aesthetics. The film is beautifully filmed, intellectually dazzling, and gradually builds to an unforgettable denouement. Highly recommended.
G. Merritt
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Sex between Life and Death
rating: 4
I liked this film far better in retrospect- particularly after watching the interview with the director Jacques Rivette, although the irritating interviewer couldn't begin to grasp the sagacious Rivette's quasi mystic vision. It's amazing how many of the directors of the French New Wave- Resnais, Roehmer, Rivette. Godard, Chabrol- are still making films 50+ years from when they started, and Rivette's current films may be the best now; are there any American directors who have made films for 50 years?
By non art film standards this is very long, and maybe even by those standards it still drags on. In fact, to many people this could be a yawner. However, the acting of- and the chemistry between- Emmanuelle Beart and Jerzy Radziwilowicz is riveting. There is much suspense here; and the minimalism of the film is classic new wave. The ghost(s)- caught between the living and the dead- (reminded me a little of the film "Ghosts" with Demi Moore) is interesting, mysterious and, perhaps, universal. However, the film still does drag a bit. However,the last half hour really speeds up, although the possible ghost redemption of Marie (Beart) is a little confusing. Moreover, steamy, erotic, and hauntingly verbal sex with a beautiful ghost does add interest to the first two hours. Five stars with more cutting- four stars as is.
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Too Long?
rating: 2
This movie is just as long as American Gangster. The story premise is simple enough about Julien, a clock restorer who couldn't forget of his one-night stand with a woman named Marie. By coincidence, they bump onto each other. To cut the story short, the relationship is soon rekindled. Along the way, there's a subplot about Julien extorting or blackmail money from Madame X. Somehow, Madame X has a sibling rivlary with her sister, who then is also related to Marie somehow. As the story unfolds, we also find out that a year ago, Marie was going out with a man named Simon who then has since deceased in a car accident. Through narratives from the characters and hints given, we start to second guess ourselves if perhaps Marie is dead or perhaps, she's a ghost. Then, we also start to wonder if it's actually love between Julien and Marie, and what is real and what is not. Yes, we can probably say to ourselves that this is an art movie and therefore, it's a bit out of ordinary but then again, we needn't sit through a whopping 2.5 hours to understand what's written above. There's a lot of silence in this movie and it reminds me of sitting through a Japanese Noh performance where silence conveys a lot that's impossible to convey through words. An acquired taste.
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this movie is about life that you see through the eyes of death
rating: 5
One of my favorites about love, loneliness, pain, sacrifice, and release. A clock worker who is a blackmailer, finds a lovely, but enigmatic woman to fill the void in his life and to help him with the blackmail. He gets advice from his love as well as from the victim. His love sacrifices her relationship with him and then regains it, because of his love for her and hers for him. Lots of Edgar Allen Poe like leaden images but not bleak or dreary.
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painfully slow
rating: 3
This movie is somewhat interesting but takes way too long to get anywhere. It wasn't worth the time I wasted watching it until the end.
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The Story of Marie and Julien
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