Jacques Rivette (March 1, 1928 - January 29, 2016) was a French film director. With Jean-Luc Godard, Jacques Rivette was one of the more experimental of the French New Wave (nouvelle vague) directors. In common with many of his peers, he had a background in film criticism, where he expressed his admiration for popular American cinema, especially genre directors such as Robert Aldrich, Howard Hawks and Frank Tashlin. Rivette's films progress in unconventional ways—often following multiple plots that can be romantic, mysterious, and comic all at once and employing extensive improvisation—and are often extremely long.
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Biography from TMDB.
- March 1, 1928
- January 29, 2016 (aged 87)
- Rouen, Seine-Maritime, Haute-Normandie, France
- Director and writer
- 15 on MovieCove · 41 credits in all
What are Jacques Rivette's films like?
Across their 14 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
Genres
Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 1 · Earnest 13
A split, not a type: Light 6 · Serious 4 · Dark 4
A split, not a type: Grounded 7 · Stylized 3 · Heightened 4
Gentle 5 · Charged 7 · Intense 2
Steady 6 · Shifting 7 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 6 · Funny 0
Slow burn 13 · Even-paced 1 · Relentless 0
Casual 2 · Engaged 8 · Full focus 4
A split, not a type: Easy watch 6 · Affecting 5 · Heavy 3
Resolved 2 · Open-ended 4 · Ambiguous 8
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet6
- Tragic1
- Ambiguous5
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Jacques Rivette's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 11 of their 15 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on The Criterion Channel (8).
- La belle noiseuse (1991) · director, writer
- Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974) · director, writer
- Up, Down, Fragile (1995) · actor, director, writer
- Mad Love (1969) · director, writer
- The Gang of Four (1989) · director, writer
- Le Pont du Nord (1981) · director, writer
- Paris Belongs to Us (1961) · actor, director, writer
- Love on the Ground (1984) · director, writer
- La belle noiseuse (1991) · director, writer · free
- Joan the Maid 2: The Prisons (1994) · director · free
- Up, Down, Fragile (1995) · actor, director, writer · free
- Joan the Maid 1: The Battles (1994) · actor, director, writer · free
- The Gang of Four (1989) · director, writer · free
- Secret Defense (1998) · director, writer · free
- Love on the Ground (1984) · director, writer · free
Subscription and free streaming for Jacques Rivette's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
41 credits, 15 with a MovieCove page; 10 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.
Around a Small Mountain (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
The Duchess of Langeais (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Their First Films (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Va savoir+ (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2001)
Who Knows?(2001)
Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films
Secret Defense(1998)
Midcredits score: 80th percentile of all films
Lumière and Company(1995)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Up, Down, Fragile(1995)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films
La Belle Noiseuse: Divertimento (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1992)
La belle noiseuse(1991)
Midcredits score: 92nd percentile of all films
Out 1 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1990)
The Gang of Four(1989)
Midcredits score: 81st percentile of all films
Wuthering Heights (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1985)
Love on the Ground(1984)
Midcredits score: 69th percentile of all films
Le Pont du Nord(1981)
Midcredits score: 74th percentile of all films
Short Memory (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1982)
Merry-Go-Round (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Paris s'en va (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1981)
Noroît (Une Vengeance) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Duelle (Une Quarantaine) (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1976)
Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films
Out 1: Spectre (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1973)
Out 1 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1971)
Rome Is Burning: Portrait of Shirley Clarke (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1970)
Mad Love(1969)
Midcredits score: 85th percentile of all films
The Nun (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Jean Renoir, le patron, 3e partie: La règle et l'exception (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Jean Renoir, le patron, 2e partie: La direction d'acteur (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Jean Renoir, le patron, 1re partie: La recherche du relatif (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1967)
Paris Belongs to Us(1961)
Midcredits score: 72nd percentile of all films
Jean Renoir parle de son art (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1961)
Fool’s Mate (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
The Kreutzer Sonata (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1956)
Bérénice (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1954)
The Diversion (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1952)
The Glass Castle(1950)
Midcredits score: 29th percentile of all films
Le quadrille (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1950)
Aux quatre coins (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(1949)
Career shape
A full career of 41 titles from 1949 to 2009.
Film career
- 1956Screen debut· Fool’s Mate
By role
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
How do Jacques Rivette's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 80th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 14 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 83rd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up10
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th1
Shape of the crowd
12 of their 15 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Universally Loved1
- Crowd Pleaser12
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the atmosphere 74/100 and the pacing 34/100 in their films, across 13 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a director.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Jacques Rivette work with?
People who share at least 2 of Jacques Rivette's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Nicole Lubtchansky shares the most, 11.
Writers
- Pascal BonitzerShared titles: The Story of Marie and Julien (2003), Who Knows? (2001), Secret Defense (1998), Up, Down, Fragile (1995), Joan the Maid 1: The Battles (1994), Joan the Maid 2: The Prisons (1994), La belle noiseuse (1991), The Gang of Four (1989), Love on the Ground (1984)See all 9 shared titles with Pascal Bonitzer
- Christine LaurentShared titles: The Story of Marie and Julien (2003), Who Knows? (2001), Up, Down, Fragile (1995), Joan the Maid 1: The Battles (1994), Joan the Maid 2: The Prisons (1994), La belle noiseuse (1991), The Gang of Four (1989)See all 7 shared titles with Christine Laurent
- Bulle OgierShared titles: The Gang of Four (1989), Le Pont du Nord (1981), Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974), Mad Love (1969)See all 4 shared titles with Bulle Ogier
- Marilù ParoliniShared titles: Love on the Ground (1984), Mad Love (1969)See all 2 shared titles with Marilù Parolini
Actors
- Bernadette GiraudShared titles: Secret Defense (1998), Joan the Maid 1: The Battles (1994), The Gang of Four (1989)See all 3 shared titles with Bernadette Giraud
- Sandrine BonnaireShared titles: Secret Defense (1998), Joan the Maid 1: The Battles (1994), Joan the Maid 2: The Prisons (1994)See all 3 shared titles with Sandrine Bonnaire
- Nathalie RichardShared titles: Lumière and Company (1995), Up, Down, Fragile (1995), The Gang of Four (1989)See all 3 shared titles with Nathalie Richard
- Bettina KeeShared titles: The Story of Marie and Julien (2003), Who Knows? (2001)See all 2 shared titles with Bettina Kee
Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Nicole LubtchanskyShared titles: The Story of Marie and Julien (2003), Who Knows? (2001), Secret Defense (1998), Up, Down, Fragile (1995), Joan the Maid 1: The Battles (1994), Joan the Maid 2: The Prisons (1994), La belle noiseuse (1991), Love on the Ground (1984), Le Pont du Nord (1981), Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974), Mad Love (1969)See all 11 shared titles with Nicole Lubtchansky
- William LubtchanskyShared titles: The Story of Marie and Julien (2003), Who Knows? (2001), Secret Defense (1998), Joan the Maid 1: The Battles (1994), Joan the Maid 2: The Prisons (1994), La belle noiseuse (1991), Love on the Ground (1984), Le Pont du Nord (1981)See all 8 shared titles with William Lubtchansky
- Jordi SavallShared titles: Secret Defense (1998), Joan the Maid 1: The Battles (1994), Joan the Maid 2: The Prisons (1994)See all 3 shared titles with Jordi Savall
- Caroline ChampetierShared titles: The Gang of Four (1989), Le Pont du Nord (1981)See all 2 shared titles with Caroline Champetier
Producers
- Martine MarignacShared titles: The Story of Marie and Julien (2003), Who Knows? (2001), Secret Defense (1998), Up, Down, Fragile (1995), Joan the Maid 1: The Battles (1994), Joan the Maid 2: The Prisons (1994), La belle noiseuse (1991), The Gang of Four (1989), Love on the Ground (1984), Le Pont du Nord (1981)See all 10 shared titles with Martine Marignac
- Maurice TinchantShared titles: The Story of Marie and Julien (2003), Who Knows? (2001), Secret Defense (1998), Up, Down, Fragile (1995), Joan the Maid 1: The Battles (1994), Joan the Maid 2: The Prisons (1994), La belle noiseuse (1991)See all 7 shared titles with Maurice Tinchant
- Barbet SchroederShared titles: Le Pont du Nord (1981), Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974)See all 2 shared titles with Barbet Schroeder
- Margaret MénégozShared titles: Le Pont du Nord (1981), Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974)See all 2 shared titles with Margaret Ménégoz
