During the visit at the Frenhofer’s château, the audience will experience an ominous atmosphere, as if to warn the characters in the film.  Marianne recognizes there is something strange in the works, but Nicolas who wants to meet with Frenhofer puts her worries aside.  However, the bizarre ambiance continues to hang in the air, until Porbus accidentally shakes up the atmosphere at a late supper.

The heat makes the small group seek the cool air of Frenhofer’s studio.  Their conversation leads toward art and Frenhofer’s creations, which eventually leads to La Belle Noiseuse.  La Belle Noiseuse is a painting that Frenhofer never created, but rather exists as an idea.  However, something suggests that it actually was painted, but he never was satisfied with the painting and it may have disappeared.  Later, when Porbus accidentally shakes up the atmosphere, the idea of using Marianne as a model for the La Belle Noiseuse materializes.  Nicolas agrees that it is a good idea and accepts on Marianne’s behalf while Porbus agrees to purchase the painting.  Up to this point, the audience will only have seen less than 30 minutes of this epic four-hour long film. 

Later Marianne learns from Nicolas that he has accepted that she will model for Frenhoher.  Frustration boils up inside of her, but instead of following her own will she returns to the château to begin her modeling.  Cleverly, the director Jacques Rivette displays prolonged scenes where the audience can observe the creation of several sketches over the artist's shoulder.  Vigorously Frenhofer attempts to capture the essence of Marianne while she resists giving whatever he struggles to transfer to a canvas.  The audience can hear Frenhofer’s hard work, as the pen is scratching the paper on which he is making sketches to help him capture the true Marianne.

Throughout Frenhofer’s artistic process, the audience can bear witness to Nicolas who begins change his mind as he feels both guilt and jealousy.  Initially, Liz offers comfort to Nicolas, but she too slowly changes her disposition of loving support to jealousy.  However, Liz's jealousy is not in regards to her husband being able to see Marianne naked all day, but rather due to a void inside her.  Simultaneously, as she is dealing with her jealousy she tries to protect Marianne from a painful experience, which she knows will hurt her at the end.

La Belle Noiseuse is a brave film that tries to show something new, which Jacques Rivette successfully does.  The cerebral process and emotional struggle of an artist is brought to the light through painstakingly long scenes, which are necessary to depict what Rivette attempts to show.  Rivette proves that it is possible to combine the intangible and the tangible in one image, as he shows the long process of bringing them together in time and space on a simple fabric of canvas.

DIRECTED BY

COUNTRY

France / Switzerland

Filmography links and data courtesy of