Artistic and beautiful, “Cezanne et moi” is a highly accomplished time-period film about art, love, and the struggle of two good friends who reached everlasting fame.
The biopic recalls the intimate lives of the legendary artists of the 19th century, Paul Cezanne, and Emile Zola A neglected painter and a celebrated author.
The biopic recalls the intimate lives of the legendary artists of the 19th century, Paul Cezanne, and Emile Zola A neglected painter and a celebrated author.
The nonlinear story goes back and forth from their present time to their childhood, through their adolescence, and then their adulthood.
In a Catholic School in a small province of France, we meet Emile Zola, bullied by his classmates for being a foreigner and fatherless, he and his mother immigrated from Italy. Cezanne, the rich boy, defended him. That was the beginning of a lifetime friendship.
In a Catholic School in a small province of France, we meet Emile Zola, bullied by his classmates for being a foreigner and fatherless, he and his mother immigrated from Italy. Cezanne, the rich boy, defended him. That was the beginning of a lifetime friendship.
Their ambitions made them move from the Mediterranean hillside town of Aix-en-Provence to Paris.
In Montmartre and Batignolles, Inglewood, they met many of the emerging and established artists of their time such as Monet, Renoir, Bazille, Morisot, and Cassatt.
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| Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. |
Those were difficult times; they struggled on the brink of starvation.
Zola was not French, but he was eloquent in his writings.
Fame and fortune came first for the writer, while the painter wrestled his demons until the end.
Cezanne hated himself so much that he destroyed some of his artwork. He was not alone; no one could understand his unique, groundbreaking Impressionist style that struck a chord with young art lovers of the day but was not liked by the classics.
This feature film perfectly depicts how two friends live their own lives in their own worlds with their trials and failures as they follow their passion for the arts.
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| Guillaume Gallienne (Cezanne). Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. |
In a lucid moment, Cezanne says to Zola, “I would like to paint as well as you write.” Later he continues, “If I live with a man I love, I should live with a woman who hates me, yes?” And he finishes with a sentimental note: “I can't remember why you love me so much.”
At one point, their friendship gets tiresome.
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| Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. |
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| Guillaume Canet (Zola). Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. |
On the other hand, to show the downside of the Parisian night scene would take away much of the film's central theme, the friendship between two great artists.
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| Photo courtesy of Magnolia Pictures. |
Actors Guillaume Gallienne (Cezanne) and Guillaume Canet (Zola) are magnificent in their respective characters; their performances are outstanding.
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Director Daniele Thomson. Photo by Jose Hermosillo. Copyright © Festival in LA
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Daniele Thomson's style to write fine comedy is sharp and elegant, and she is the Woody Allen of French Cinema.
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| Director Daniele Thomson and film critic Jose Hermosillo. Copyright © Festival in LA |
Ms. Thomson's writing style is delectable. She works on the dynamics of conversations and enlarges the dialogue to transmit the proper emotions from the actors to the audience.
The cinematography by Jean-Marie Dreujou is evocative and utterly beautiful.
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| Music composer Erik Neveux. Photo by Jose Hermosillo. Copyright © Festival in LA |
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| "Cezanne and I" soundtrack Photo by Jose Hermosillo. Copyright © Festival in LA |
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| Music composer Erik Neveux and film critic Jose Hermosillo. Copyright © Festival in LA |
Very good article, congratulations
ReplyDeleteAwesome! I am glad you like it. Thank you very much.
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