Jacques Rivette

Céline and Julie Go Boating

Céline and Julie Go Boating

Whiling away a summer in Paris, director Jacques Rivette, working in close collaboration with his stars and coconspirators Juliet Berto and Dominique Labourier, set out to rewrite the rules of cinema in the spirit of pure play—moviemaking as an anything-goes romp through the labyrinths of imagination. The result is one of the most exuberantly inventive and utterly enchanting films of the French New Wave, in which Julie (Labourier), a daydreaming librarian, meets Céline (Berto), an enigmatic magician, and together they become the heroines of a time-warping adventure involving a haunted house, psychotropic candy, and a murder-mystery melodrama. Incorporating allusions to everything from Lewis Carroll to Louis Feuillade, Céline and Julie Go Boating is both one of the all-time-great hangout comedies and a totally unique, enveloping cinematic dream space that delights in the endless pleasures and possibilities of stories.

Film Info

  • France
  • 1974
  • 193 minutes
  • Color
  • 1.37:1
  • French
  • Spine #1069

TWO-BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • Audio commentary from 2017 featuring critic Adrian Martin
  • Jacques Rivette: Le veilleur, a 1994 two-part feature documentary by Claire Denis, featuring an extensive interview with Rivette by film critic Serge Daney
  • New interviews with actor Bulle Ogier and producer and actor Barbet Schroeder
  • New conversation between critic Pacôme Thiellement and Hélène Frappat, author of Jacques Rivette, secret compris
  • Archival interviews with Rivette, Ogier, and actors Juliet Berto, Dominique Labourier, and Marie-France Pisier
  • New English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: An essay by critic Beatrice Loayza and a 1974 piece by Berto

New cover by Lauren Tamaki

Purchase Options

TWO-BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

  • New 2K digital restoration, with uncompressed monaural soundtrack
  • Audio commentary from 2017 featuring critic Adrian Martin
  • Jacques Rivette: Le veilleur, a 1994 two-part feature documentary by Claire Denis, featuring an extensive interview with Rivette by film critic Serge Daney
  • New interviews with actor Bulle Ogier and producer and actor Barbet Schroeder
  • New conversation between critic Pacôme Thiellement and Hélène Frappat, author of Jacques Rivette, secret compris
  • Archival interviews with Rivette, Ogier, and actors Juliet Berto, Dominique Labourier, and Marie-France Pisier
  • New English subtitle translation
  • PLUS: An essay by critic Beatrice Loayza and a 1974 piece by Berto

New cover by Lauren Tamaki

Céline and Julie Go Boating
Cast
Juliet Berto
Céline
Dominique Labourier
Julie
Bulle Ogier
Camille
Marie-France Pisier
Sophie
Barbet Schroeder
Olivier
Nathalie Asnar
Madlyn
Marie-Thérèse Saussure
Poupie
Philippe Clévenot
Guilou
Jean Douchet
Monsieur Dédé
Adèle Taffetas
Alice
Monique Clément
Myrtille
Jérôme Richard
Julien
Michael Graham
Boris
Jean-Marie Sénia
Cyrille
Credits
Director
Jacques Rivette
Screenplay by
Juliet Berto
Dominique Labourier
Bulle Ogier
Marie-France Pisier
Jacques Rivette
Dialogue by
Eduardo de Gregorio
Cinematography by
Jacques Renard
Sound by
Paul Lainé
Editing by
Nicole Lubtchansky
Music by
Jean-Marie Sénia

Current

Céline and Julie Go Boating: State of Play
Céline and Julie Go Boating: State of Play

Drawing on influences ranging from classic Hollywood to cartoons, Jacques Rivette’s uncategorizable masterpiece plunges viewers into a world shaped by the friendship and imagination shared by two soul sisters.

By Beatrice Loayza

Dash Shaw’s Top 10
Dash Shaw’s Top 10

The acclaimed animator behind Cryptozoo shares a selection of his favorite films, including works by Godard, Cronenberg, and Almodóvar.

The Adventure of Illustrating Céline and Julie
The Adventure of Illustrating Céline and Julie

The Brooklyn-based artist behind the look of our edition of Jacques Rivette’s masterpiece reflects on her playful yet meticulous process.

By Lauren Tamaki