Up, Down, Fragile

After the austere revision of the historical film in the previous Jeanne la pucelle (1994), Rivette conceived Haut bas fragile under the sign of musical cinema. “Inspiration? MGM’s low budget films of the fifties, shot in four or five weeks, using sets left by other films; in particular a Stanley Donen film called Give a Girl a Break“(Rivette). Here is a film with a group of girls, songs and dance numbers. Anna Karina’s special starring suggests that Haut bas fragile also intended to evoke the “Nouvelle Vague spirit”. (Cinemateca Portuguesa)