La Belle Noiseuse, Jacques Rivette, 1991

Rivette, epic poet of the Nouvelle Vague and long an observer of the creative process, here trains his lens on a painter's stuggle with his masterwork. At nearly four hours, Rivette's is a decidely deliberate, yet remarkably focused work with Michel Piccoli and Emmanuelle Beart impressively inhabiting the respective skins of artist and muse.