Celine and Julie Go Boating (1974)

by Mark Murton

Original French Title: Céline et Julie vont en bateau: Phantom Ladies Over Paris

Directed by: Jacques Rivette

Cat Out of the Bag Alert! This review contains some spoilers for this film!

Synopsis: Julie (Dominique Labourier), a daydreaming librarian, meets magician Celine (Juliet Berto) in Montmartre and they wind up sharing the same flat, bed, fiancé, clothes, identity and imagination. Soon, thanks to some psychotropic sweets, they find themselves spectators, then participants, in a ‘film-within-the-film’ melodrama unfolding in a mysterious suburban house.

Kitty Cameos: The film opens with Julie sitting in the park reading a book on magic. Nearby a tabby and white cat is running along the benches then down onto the ground as it stalks some unseen prey.

Celine and Julie Go Boating - tabby and white cat on bench
Celine and Julie Go Boating - tabby and white cat stalking on grass

It’s in the park that Julie first encounters Celine and starts to follow her through the Montmartre streets. Along the way she passes a cat sitting on a high wall outside a house (possibly the same cat in the previous scene).

Celine and Julie Go Boating - tabby and white cat behind flowers on wall

Later, the action starts to centre around 7 Bis, rue du Nadir-aux-Pommes, and as Julie approaches the house she is joined by a cat which briefly falls into step with her.

Celine and Julie Go Boating - Dominique Labourier walking down street with dark cat

As she arrives at the house, what appears to be this same cat, a tortoiseshell, walks across the steps in front of her.

Celine and Julie Go Boating - Dominique Labourier climbing steps to house with tortoiseshell cat

Julie rings the doorbell as tabby kitten sits in the shadows on the far left of the top step.

Celine and Julie Go Boating - Dominique Labourier ringing doorbell with tabby kitten nearby

A little later, Julie goes back to the house where the kitten is still present on the top step. For some reason she seems to give the kitten a wide berth.

Celine and Julie Go Boating - Dominique Labourier approaching door with tabby kitten nearby

Julie and Celine eventually go to the house together and the same two cats are sitting on the left hand pillar at the top of the steps.

Celine and Julie Go Boating - Dominique Labourier and Juliet Berto at door with cats on pillar

It’s not clear that there are two cats present until one jumps down from the pillar and the other drops to the top of the concrete handrail just below.

Celine and Julie Go Boating - Dominique Labourier and Juliet Berto at door with tortoiseshell cat and tabby kitten

Unable to gain entry, Celine and Julie decide to sit on the top step and have a cigarette, and the tortoiseshell cat decides to sit on the step too.

Celine and Julie Go Boating - Dominique Labourier and Juliet Berto sitting on steps with tortoiseshell cat and tabby kitten

Soon they do gain entry. Once inside a tabby kitten can be seen lying in a hallway.

Celine and Julie Go Boating - Dominique Labourier and Juliet Berto in hallway with tabby kitten

Celine spies one of the female occupants, Camille (Bulle Ogier), searching through a trunk of clothes with this same tabby kitten at at her feet.

Celine and Julie Go Boating - Camille Bulle Ogier sorting through clothes with tabby kitten

As Camille unpacks another dress, the kitten starts to play with the garment’s dangling belt.

Celine and Julie Go Boating - Camille Bulle Ogier sorting through clothes with tabby kitten

At the end of the film Celine and Julie do indeed go boating while a calico cat naps nearby.

Celine and Julie Go Boating - calico cat sleeping

The calico shows up again as the final frame of the film.

Celine and Julie Go Boating - calico cat

Director Jacques Rivette was obviously a lover of cats and included them in many of his films.

Celine and Julie Go Boating - director Jacques Rivette with tuxedo cat
Celine and Julie Go Boating - director Jacques Rivette with tuxedo cat

Final Mewsings: Cats would rather go fishing than boating.

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