La belle Nivernaise

An abandoned boy named Victor is picked up by barge owner Louveau, who decides to make the young lad part of his family. While Louveau’s grumbling wife isn’t initially enamoured of the idea, their daughter Clara and Victor end up falling in love. But then Victor’s biological father turns up to send the boy to boarding school... One of Jean Epstein’s key films and a central work of cinematic impressionism, with its atmospheric depiction of the barge workers’ milieu and the melancholic river landscapes, the shots of bridges and banks wreathed in mist recall the paintings of Corot and Renoir. LA BELLE NIVERNAISE doesn’t just suggest Epstein’s later, fascinating work at the start of the sound film era, but also anticipates Jean Vigo’s significantly more famous L’ATALANTE (1934). Henri Langlois: “One of the purest, most classical and exquisite works of French silent cinema. With its perfect simplicity and need to make everything subordinate to the subject, LA BELLE NIVERNAISE is without doubt the film from France that can compete with the masterpieces of the Swedish school.” (Christoph Huber)

With live music by Meg Morley on 19.10. and by Elaine Brennan on 3.11.

All retrospective films that will be shown at the Filmmuseum after the Viennale - from 29.10. - can of course also be reserved as usual at filmmuseum.at or by calling 01/533 70 54 and purchased at the box office of the Austrian Film Museum. The prices of the Austrian Film Museum apply.