By JONATHAN ROMNEY The directors of the French New Wave ignited a cinematic revolution - but five decades on, how do these ageing insurrectionaries practice what they preached? Did they know when they started out, the French directors of the New Wave, that they were in it for the long haul? Imagine a young, energetic, passionately cinephilic film-maker coming along today.

By Susan Dunne, The Hartford Courant, Conn. Jul. 23--"The Duchess of Langleais" is quite a sexy movie, which is noteworthy because there's no sex in it. There's passion, longing, regret and misery.

By Jeff Vice Deseret News THE DUCHESS OF LANGEAIS -- ** -- Jeanne Balibar, Guillaume Depardieu; in French, with English subtitles; not rated, probable PG- 13 (violence, vulgarity, mild profanity) "The Duchess of Langeais" sees 80-year-old French filmmaker Jacques Rivette getting a bit confused.

By KALEEM AFTAB Eric Rohmer is a writer who became a pioneer of modern French cinema. He tells KALEEM AFTAB his latest may be his last Eric Rohmer has always been the most discreet of film directors.