In French with English subtitles
F.Y.I.
Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841 – 1919) was one of the most
prolific of all the French Impressionist painters. During his sixty year career
as an artist it is said he painted more than 6,000 canvasses. He suffered his
first severe rheumatoid arthritis attack in his late ‘50’s. Within a few years
his hands and feet were so damaged by the disease he had to use a wheelchair to
sit or move about.
PRINCIPAL
CAST MEMBERS
Michel
Bouquet: Pierre-Auguste Renoir, painter
Christa Theret: 15-year-old actress and model Andreé
Heuschling
Thomas Doret: Renoir’s
third son 14-year-old Claude “Coco”
Vincent Rottiers: Renoir’s
second son 21-year-old Jean
REVIEW
Covering the last five years of his life and how one woman
had an impact on both Renoir pére and fils, the film unfortunately has several
shortcomings:
- there is no background information regarding the painter’s affliction; something as important as that should not be ignored
- the rather stilted acting by both sons is something you might expect from students taking Acting 101 but not in a movie of this calibre
- unexpected events pop up without any sort of explanation such as when one of Renoir’s former models (who has not been heard from for years) all of a sudden shows up at a picnic
On the other hand the cinematography and use of natural
light beautifully recreate the sense of the place where Renoir lived and
incorporated in his paintings and Bouquet’s performance is top notch.
CLASSIFICATION
for full frontal nudity and brief strong language.
FOR
NITPICKERS ONLY
- Renoir pére asks his son to put a necklace around the model’s neck insisting it is the emerald one but the only necklace is one of pearls
- When Jean asks the price of some material he is told it is 5 francs a meter but the subtitles read 5 francs a foot.
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