L'Amour Fou (1969)

100% of critics liked it
(9 reviews)
42% want to see it
(339 ratings)

A director and his actress lover rehearse for a tragic play. Complications set in when their life at home affects their performances at work. The director professes his love for the woman while seeking comfort in the arms of other women in the stage production. The sensitive woman tries to overcome… More A director and his actress lover rehearse for a tragic play. Complications set in when their life at home affects their performances at work. The director professes his love for the woman while seeking comfort in the arms of other women in the stage production. The sensitive woman tries to overcome her nature and her lover's indiscretions to succeed in the often callous world of show business. Art imitates life in this slow-moving feature that is over four hours in length. ~ Dan Pavlides, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: Unrated, 4 hr. 15 min.
Directed By: Jacques Rivette
Genres: Documentary, Drama, Art House & International

Studio: Sophie Dulac Distribution

Critic Reviews

Roger Greenspun, New York Times
L'Amour Fou, while possibly not a masterpiece, is a work of such interest, skill and intelligence that it deserves to be something better than a legend -- in what is, after all, still its own time.
Nathan Lee, Film Comment Magazine
Directed with rigorous tact, L'Amour fou is unconcerned with speaking through any historical framework. It is devoted, rather, to the calm, thoughtful, and ultimately elusive reflections of M. Bergé on the dismantling of a legacy.
Brandon Judell, CultureCatch
A true must-see if you adore fashion, interior design, the Sixties and Seventies, travel, and an exploration of depressed genius with guest appearances by Andy Warhol and Mick Jagger.
Fernando F. Croce, CinePassion
Harrowing disintegration
, Time Out
Rivette's claim to the status of a key innovator in contemporary cinema began with this film.
, Film4
This is unusual and adventurous cinema.
Alan Dale, Blogcritics.org
The irony is subtle ... but irresistible for anyone interested in narrative paradox. L'Amour fou is one of the few movies, and one of the best, to deal directly with a literary subject.
Keith Uhlich, Slant Magazine
L'Amour Fou is a transitional work for Jacques Rivette, the bridge to the superb Out 1 and its equally masterful re-edit Spectre.
Jeremy Heilman, MovieMartyr.com
One of the best French films that I've seen.

Read all 9 critic reviews

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Cast

Jean-Pierre Kalfon
as Sebastien
Bulle Ogier
as Claire
André S. Labarthe
as Andre

Denis Berry
as Denis
Michèle Moretti

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