L Amour Fou Blu-Ray

Sebastian (Jean-Pierre Kalfon, Weekend) stages an adaptation of Racine's tragedy Andromaque, while a film crew films the rehearsals with a handheld 16 mm camera. The star of the production and Sebastian's girlfriend, Claire (Bulle Ogier, Out 1), cannot handle the pressure and leaves the project. Life imitates art and creates a tragedy for the couple when Sebastian recasts the role with his ex. L'amour fou is a hypnotic study of stormy love, told with director Jacques Rivette's characteristic reflexivity and containing poignant investigations of performance, art, theater, and life. L'amour fou is a classic of the French New Wave and one of Rivette's most radical works, but has been unavailable for years since the original material was tragically destroyed in a fire. Now it has been carefully restored, and Radiance Films is proud to present this masterpiece in a new 4K restoration.

"In my opinion—and I think many share it—this is one of the five or six best films of the New Wave." – François Truffaut

"L'amour fou is still my favorite film." – Bulle Ogier

"The work of a rebel, of an artist who seeks to break the codes and clichés of the "normal" productions of the time." – Jean-Pierre Kalfon

"L'amour fou is a film without formal predecessors. As with all great films, it feels like watching the birth of cinema, watching the very first film and also the last.” – André S. Labarthe

”A filmmaker sets up his camera and, above all, observes the actors, without caring about the characters or respecting a predetermined scenario. I want to draw inspiration from this. I want to capture the personalities of my actors and make cinéma vérité." - Bernardo Bertolucci

"L'amour Fou speaks to those who are madly in love with film." Jean De Baroncelli, Le Monde, 1969

"One of Rivette's best films." Serge Daney, Libération, 1991

EXTRA:

SPECIAL FEATURES

4K restoration from materials stored at Les Archives du Film and Éclair-Preservation, under the supervision of Caroline Champetier.

Uncompressed mono PCM audio.

A newly recorded full-length documentary featuring new interviews with star Jean-Pierre Kalfon, writer/director and Rivette collaborator Pascal Bonitzer, Rivette's biographer Antoine de Baecque, critic/historian Sylvie Pierre, and archival footage of Jacques Rivette (Robert Fischer, 2024, 95 minutes).

New interview with Caroline Champetier, renowned cinematographer and restoration supervisor (2024).

The Third Eye – A video essay by film critics Cristina Álvarez López and Adrian Martin (2024).

Newly added English subtitles.