Before Claire’s knee, there were Bérénice’s teeth! Based on an Edgar Allan Poe story, Éric Rohmer’s bold, early short is a tale of obsession that feels distinctly more sinister than his later films. Shot in André Bazin’s house, photographed and edited by Jacques Rivette, and starring Rohmer himself.
Produced by Jean-Luc Godard, who also plays a supporting role, this 16mm short by French master Éric Rohmer jumps between the interiors of Paris’ 1950s apartments—with a glimpse of the Cahiers du Cinéma offices!—and its charming boulevards. Featuring cameos by Claude Chabrol and François Truffaut.
The very last film by Jacques Rivette, the most consistently underrated of the French New Wave critics-turned-filmmakers (a group which includes François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard), Around a Small Mountain is a wry, gentle gem starring 60s icon Jane Birkin.
