In the conclusion to their two-part epic, the perfectly paired Jacques Rivette and Sandrine Bonnaire continue their atheistic approach to the life & death of Joan of Arc, chronicling Joan, the woman, at war and on trial. An elegant, understated, and uniquely human portrayal of the canonical figure.
Casting the great Sandrine Bonnaire as his titular heroine, Jacques Rivette diverges from the stark expressionism of Dreyer and transcendent asceticism of Bresson for a rich and expansive six-hour, two-part epic. A singularly human and complicated character study, seen here in a new restoration.
The very last film by Jacques Rivette, the most consistently underrated of the French New Wave critics-turned-filmmakers (a group which includes François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard), Around a Small Mountain is a wry, gentle gem starring 60s icon Jane Birkin.
