Over the years, Jacques Rivette, one of the original New Wave directors who, along with Godard, Chabrol, Truffaut, and Rohmer, revolutionized cinema in the '60s, has forged his own individual path. For some, his work has lacked the accessibility of the others', and (apart from Celine and Julie Go Boating) he is probably the least known of the group. As his career has evolved, Rivette has become increasingly preoccupied with questions of life and artifice, centering his films around the theater and the manufacturing of illusion. The Gang of Four focuses on a group of students rehearsing a play under the direction of Bulle Ogier, one of Rivette's favorite actresses. The four girls of the film live in a small house previously shared with a fifth friend, Cecile, who has left to live with a secret, invisible lover. When one of the girls is attacked, an unknown man intervenes and warns her that Cecile's lover has embroiled her in a shady affair which could endanger her life. Events take a more sinister turn when the stranger begins to insinuate himself into the lives of the girls. But Rivette is far less interested in suspense than in the dynamics of the group of students, moving between the stage and daily life where tensions while rehearsing are more real than the contrived events involving the enigmatic stranger. The Gang of Four is Rivette's most engaging work in years, refined and thoughtful as ever. -- Piers Handling, Festival of Festivals, Toronto