Too much of everything

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The best films of this genre always show a path and provide a takeaway for being a better person.

The former famous painter Frenhofer (Michel Piccoli) revisits an abandoned project using the girlfriend (Emmanuelle Béart) of a young visiting artist. Questions about truth, life, and artistic limits are explored.The film is loosely adapted from the short story "The Unknown Masterpiece" by Honoré de Balzac and also includes elements from "The Liar", "The Figure in the Carpet", and "The Aspern Papers" by Henry James. One does not need to have read any of these works to appreciate the film, however.Some critics say the film is like watching paint dry, because very little happens and it has a running time of over four hours! But, at the same time ,this is sort of its charm. It just goes slow, unfolding, and getting the job done. Is the story of the artist or the model? Do they grow together, or grow apart?

You've heard the expression about as exciting as watching paint dry. With this version of Rivette's glum excursion into an artists blockage, the viewer has 236 minutes to watch the paint dry--and often watch the sketching, which is dull, indeed. Four glum people sit in beautiful surroundings in what appears to be a summer mansion, and either don't say much to one another, or complain about lack of feeling. While its obvious the filmmaker is sincere in attempting to explore the development of human character through interaction and decision making, Rivette also neglected to remember what I think is a cardinal rule of motion pictures--they move! I can recognize some folks will become entranced by the dedicated portrayals of talented actors, and also understand while folks will be driven out of the room by the sullen inactivity--how many ways can one woman pose for a painting in one day without anything apparently happening? Id like to see the two-hour version of the film, which might be a little more riveting

I saw this listed as one of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die, in the book, so obviously I was willing to watch it, despite not knowing anything about the plot or anything, I hoped for the best. Basically in rural Languedoc-Roussillon lives famous and reclusive artist Edouard Frenhofer (Michel Piccoli) with his wife and former model Liz ("Je T'Aime... Moi Non Plus" singer Jane Birkin) in his large château in the French Provence. Young artist Nicolas (David Bursztein) visits him with his girlfriend Marianne (Emmanuelle Béart), and Edouard is inspired by her beauty to start painting again, and more specifically start again, or continue as it were, the painting he has long abandoned. Marianne removes all of her clothing, and the artist commences sketching for what will become the painting he stopped, called La Belle Noiseuse, translated The Beautiful Troublemaker. Most of the film is the numerous times that Marianne poses for Edouard while he sketches and more importantly paints his subject in the various poses he puts, or sometimes forces, her into. As time goes by, he is obviously becoming frustrated as he finds it hard to find the right pose and create the right work, and she is finding it hard to stay in her poses, be naked in front of him, and feel pressured into helping him with his work. The film ends with the work completed, but Edouard feels guilty or something for the finished painting, and to make sure no-one ever sees it he hides it behind a new brick wall, and he quickly creates the replacement, we never see the real painting that was finished. Also starring Marianne Denicourt as Julienne, Gilles Arbona as Porbus and Bernard Dufour as The Painter (the real one creating the works). It is two or three minutes short of four hours long, and it may not be for everyone, it can even coin the phrase "it's as interesting as watching paint dry", but I liked it, as I have an interest in drawing myself. What made it fascinating was seeing the painting done in real time, with hardly any cutaways, so you can admire what the artist is trying to create (it's almost like watching Rolf Harris sometimes, LOL, "can you tell what it is yet?"), and these scenes really use the time wisely and make it a rewarding and compelling drama masterpiece. Very good!

I really like the nude scene in this film, so I thought, why not watching the whole film. Well, I almost did, but ended up shutting off the TV about one and half hours after it started. In the first hour of the movie you see people talk what seem like small talks. In the next 20 minutes you see that artist guy drawing. Then she finally gets undressed, making the movie not any more interesting. Still small talks. Still watching paint dry. Days of Our Lives has faster pace. Most of the people here who gave it a high score did it to look smart. I don't see how enduring 4 hours of watching small talks, paint dry and tasteful nudity (yes, that gets boring as well) makes a person smart. So like the kid who yelled "the king is naked" I'll say "the movie is boring".