DUELLE

“The second installment of a four-part series that was never completed, Rivette's film is a haunting fantasy about two goddesses (Bulle Ogier and Juliet Berto) who descend to contemporary Paris and battle for possession of a magic stone that will allow them to remain on earth.

The plot decodes into a conflict between the magical and the realistic cinema -- Lumiere versus Melies -- and Rivette works out this contradiction in long takes that encompass enigmatic situations and mysterious characters. Darker and quieter in tone than Rivette's better-known CELINE AND JULIE GO BOATING, though just as inventive and cryptically intelligent.” (Dave Kehr, Chicago Reader)