There is no official DVD release of either version, though there are bootleg copies that circulate. There was a SECAM VHS release back in the ’90s in France, which is probably the source of the bootlegs that you will encounter.
Ah ok then, thanks for that info
What Jonathan said is accurate.
Not that it will help you see the film, but according to the presenter at the 2007 screening in Chicago, the circulating copy is the only one in existence. It’s non-subtitled, so the screenings require some sort of powerpoint-esque setup that projects the subs. This means that a French speaker has to manually click through the lines.
Oh this is screaming for a CC release
This is what prompted me to set up my account, and what I get is the description of a fim so obscure and undervalued that it reads like a parody. At least this reminded me that I need to see Fassbinder’s Berlin Alexanderplatz now that it is in wider circulation.
I very much want to see this, and actually found it (the complete 13 hour version, split into 8 episodes) on the internet to download. Only issue is subtitles – I don’t speak French and I’m not aware of any subtitle files available on the net.
Oh well. Something’s better than nothing… I’ll download it and check it out, even if the dialogue will be as clear as mud :P
One of the very greatest films ever made.
Did you know that you can see “Celine at Julie vont en bateau/Phantom Ladies Over Paris” in its entierity on You Tube?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SdTgj35GXLo
I can’t help but wonder whether there’s any chance of the film making it down to Australia some time in the future… it’s about time we had a Rivette retrospective, I feel. :P
A 13 Hour movie sounds well-nigh indigestible a la Warhol. But “Out 1” is made up of 8 roughly ninety minute chapters that are easy to sit through. At the beginning of each new chapter there’s a rief recap in balck and white of key scenes from the preceding chapter so you always know where you are. I saw it here in La.A. over a two day period with lunch and dinner breaks for each day. And it wasn’t difficult to get through at all.
I would like to revive this thread and ask those familiar with the film to give us their opinion of it. Is it worth watching for all those hours and does it sustain interest? I have recently seen Celine and Julie Go Boating (on YouTube) and then stumbled upon reviews of this film on this site. I have looked it up, and am now curious about it. I am a fan of large form projects, so would appreciate knowing more of this. Thanks.
Of course it’s worth watching and of course it sustains interest.
“Out 1” is a very precise picture of post May ‘68 malaise — when utopian dreams of a new society ha d crashed and burned, radical terrorism was starting to emerge in unlikely places and a great many other things. In it two marginals who don’t know one another stumble into the remnants of a “secret society” named after a Balzac deus ex machina but modelled to some degree after Georges Bataille’s proposed (but never achieved) “Acephale.”
Jean-Pierre Leaud is Thomas, a seemig deaf-mute who after an episode or two suddenly begins to talk. Juliet Berto Is Frederique, a con artist working the “short con” (caging drinks and tricking men who think she;s a hooker out of their money.) There are two theater groups reheasing classic Greek dramas; “Seven Against Thebes” and :“Prometheus Bound” Michelle Moretti runs the former — whcih is a loose collective.Michel Lonsdale presides over the latter. Hermione Karagheuz plays a member of the Moretti group who for reasons that are never explained passes a note to Leau about “The 13” with quotations from Lewis Carrool’’s “The Hutin of the Snark.” This sends Leaud on a search for “The 13” which brings him eventually to Bulle Ogier’s shop in Les Halles “L’Angle du Hasard.” Berto follows mcuch the same path when she steals a cachet of letters from Jacques Doniol-Valcroze and tries to to get money from their owners for their return, These twin activities reactivate “The 13” which had been dormant for years, revealing among other things that the two theater groups were once one. Plus there’s a mysterious house by the seashore (the only scenes outside of Paris) where a mysterious never seen group leader may reside. That’s the bare bones of the plot. Much more happens, with additional fascinating characters and performances.
As I have said 13 1/2 hours sounds daunting, but 8 movies 90 minutes each are quite easy to digest. I saw it in Los Angeles over two days and it was incredibly exciting in a very old-fashioned thriller-serial way. Feuillade made modern.
Thanks for the excellent, concise plot synopsis, David. I look forward to seeing it in some format, when I can see it with subtitles. Maybe there will be a DVD release, which would be ideal. I love the ‘secret society’ subplot and look forward to seeing how Rivette ties everything together. Maybe Criterion should seriously consider this, as I would definitely buy it if it were available. I enjoy longer works, as it gives the opportunity to the director to do ‘more’ with his material.
The more I hear about this film, the more I want to see it. Does anybody have a version with english subtitles?
The frustrating thing is that I would settle for Out 1: Spectre but it seems just as hard to find.
Precisely, Bob. “Out 1” and “Berlin Alexanderplatz” show precisely what the long-form serial can do. The print of “Out 1” I saw didn’t have subtitles printed on it but rather was shown with subtitles projected onto the image manually.
It would be great if “Out 1” were to be made available by Criterion but more people have to have heard of it first. It would be nice if there were more screenigns. The film is very enjoyable in a two day set-up like the one I saw, with break between sections plus a dinner break for each day. There’s something about the audience assembling ans dispersing that mirrors the events on screen in a fascinating way.
A lot of Rivette’s work has been neglected in general. But this does seem like a fascinating film. Leaud is always worth watching, and Berto and Ogier as well.
Bernadette Laffont and Michel Lonsdale are also amazing in it, as well as Francois Fabien, Jean Bouise, Jean-Francois Stevenin and Michel Berto — a mysterious character who according to some accounts was Juliet’s husband, though that might not be true.
Just a couple of small points.
David Ehrenstein: The character Léaud plays is Colin, not Thomas (played by Lonsdale). Michel Berto was Juliet’s brother, he died some years after her. If i misunderstood and you were referring to the role he plays in the film, he’s her gay best-friend; she meets Renaud cause Honeymoon is in love with him.
Anyway, the film is on download in the internet (check some torrent trackers…), and BFI can provide a list of subtitles; ask them, I got one for my research work. I don’t need them because the circulating pirate copies, mine included, have italian subtitles since they come from one of the 4 screenings that our TV channel 3 did in the past years.
The film is definitely worth watching, there is all Rivette in there, you definitely have to watch it in order to understand his cinema.
I forgot one thing. The lenght isnt’ 13 hours or 13 1/2, it’s around 740’ (a bit more than 12 hours). The first version lasted, I believe, around 760’, but then Rivette cut out a sequence and then, according to what Rosenbaum wrote, he did some furher editing on the film (as far as I know, between 1989 and 1990).
If anyone’s interested, I heard rumors about a DVD release of Out 1 in Europe (actually, about a collaboration that might take to a release of the movie).
You’re right, Gianluca. I got the names wrong. Michel Berto was her brother? Some accounts I’ve readclam he was her husband. Brother makes a lot more sense.
There are two characters who don’t appear in “Out 1” but are referred toperpetually by the otjers. I’ve always thought Pierre Clementi would have played one of these characters as he’s the only actor of that 60’s-eracircle who isn’t in “Out 1.” (As he was a major participant in “Les Idoles” he was doubtless on Rivette’s short list but was probably making something in Italy at the time.) He pops up in “Le Pont du Nord” which is very much an echo on “Out 1” on a much smaller scale.
I would be much more pessimistic about this ever being released if Criterion hadn’t taken a chance on Berlin Alexanderplatz. Hopefully it sold well enough for them to take another chance on what is guaranteed to be an expensive release. With the economy the way it is, however, I wouldn’t expect to see this anytime soon.
@Gianluca Attoli, have you heard any further rumors about Out ! being released? Was the rumor concerning BFI? I know they released Celine and Julie and Paris Belongs To Us so they seem to be the only ones who care about Rivette.
I’m beginning to think we’ll never live to see 11—13 hr version of this masterwork.
Yes, it would be nice to see this on DVD, as there’s zero chance of it ever being shown in these parts. Of course, so few of Rivette’s films are current in print on DVD that any Rivette films are welcome.
It’s gotta be restored first, it’s current condition as film is pretty lousy.
It wasn’t restored for the Rivette Retrospective 2 years ago? Unbelievable.
What’s also sad and unbelievable is that people are clamoring for Criterion to produce Kubrick or whoever DVDs when they are already available from other sources. Meanwhile, this monumental work by one of the seminal new wave crew goes unseen and almost no one cares. The lack of availability of Out 1, Out 1:Spectre, and L Amour Fou is the greatest crime in the current home video market.
Not it wasn’t restored, they showed a mediocre but servicable 16mm copy that was live/soft subtitled.
http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/4745210/Out_1_Noli_me_tangere_(Jacques_Rivette__1970)
Thanks to imdb, of all places. Complete film with English subtitles. I was over the moon when I found this, even more so when I downloaded it and put it on disc. Sure, it’s no better than VHS quality with English subtitles on top of burnt in Italian subtitles, but it’s as good as we’re going to get until somebody puts it on DVD.
Now that I’ve downloaded it, I’ve even considered burning half a dozen discs and putting them on ebay. Not because I want to make a profit – the fact is that there will be a lot of people out there who want to see this but may be hesitant about downloading torrents. I know I was.
Lucky
Is this film (the long version – Noli me tangere) available to buy anywhere at all? Or is it only seen at special screenings?
Even the shorter version would be nice. I can’t seem to find either anywhere.
Thanks