"Miss Claudel has become a master." "She has the talent of a man." "She's a witch."
And so Auguste Rodin and friends neatly sum up the sad trajectory of Camille Claudel's career.
We first meet the sculptor as she digs clay with bare fingers from a frozen ditch, in the winter of 1885. By the time the film leaves her, in 1913, she's an acclaimed, if socially scorned, artist who's been committed to an asylum.
In the interim, Claudel (Isabelle Adjani) falls in love with the famous, older, womanizing Rodin (Grard Depardieu). Claudel abandons her work to assist the creatively bankrupt Rodin, filling in as his muse, assistant, and lover. When pregnancy forces Claudel to ask him to choose between her and his longtime mistress, he won't, she leaves, and their alliance ends. This proves to be the turning point for Claudel's mental health; when her affair with Rodin ends, she begins her intimacy with insanity.
As her madness blooms, so do her long-neglected sculptures, which seem to come to life in her hands and arms. Not only a potent love story, Camille Claudel is also an account of art and its wellsprings, and this is where it excels, especially when we witness Claudel's manic genius at work, driven by the necessity to externalize her emotions in the forms of her sculptures.
In the end, the viewer wonders about the causes of Claudel's madness: was it genes, or her reaction against society's mores, or the product of Rodin's persecution? Or, as one exasperated family member terms it, was it "the madness of mud"? --Stefanie Durbin
International screen star Isabelle Adjani (The Story Of Adele H., Ishtar) is the creative prodigy Camille Claudel. G(c)rard Depardieu (Green Card, Cyrano de Bergerac) is thelegendary sculptor Rodin. This is the true story of their passionate obsession with artand with each other. Both an inspiring saga of artistic vision and the haunting portrayal of a doomed romance, Camille Claudel is a beautiful and stirring cinematic masterpiece. A historically accurate depiction of one of the most important collaborations in the history of modern art, Camille Claudel was nominated for the 1989 Academy Award(r) for Best Foreign Language Film,and Adjani was nominated for the 1989 Oscar(r) for Best Actress for her riveting portrayalof the beautiful young woman who sacrifices her talents to flames of passion.
Just don't buy a used DVD. I just received mine and could only watch 1/3 of the movie before it began to stick!!! :(
I loved the first part only wish I could finish the movie.
"How not to Sculpt when Angry?"
Written By: DoMeNiQuE CoE
I was just amazed and impressed with the director's attempt to convey the method of creation for a sculpture. I do not think he was successful other than letting me know it is extremely messy, models must always be freezing, takes a lifetime to perfect, and lots of mushing translates to a lifesize sensous naked piece of marble. Tall order to show more I imagine, but I keep thinking Picasso and Michaelangelo, albeit easier to demo. Unfortunately, I have such a limited background in art that I was expecting to really see the process. I got a glimpse into that secret world which I imagine earns the respect of all true artists. When Rodin insults the photographer I was saddened as that about measures the depth of my creative talent. However, Adjani is truly the centerpiece of creation in this film, I recommend a film on her 'creating' Camille, it was incredible.... I was surprised that the only piece delicately depicted in the film was the beautiful Giganti foot and then maybe his face. Otherwise the rest of the imitations, one would think close to the originals, were absolutely course, unfinished and unimpressive. I think of the Pride and Prejudice scene at first sight of Mr. Darcy's sculpture collection.....breathtaking!!! Gerald was perfectly suited much like Alfred in Freida. It is incomprehensible that this woman had sooo much influence in her family to make them move to Paris, stop going to church, inflict such shame and horror, and she never seems to regret anything but working for Rodin. The backdrop of late 19th century was a special treat and a bucolic life at Villanueve delightful. The suffering of this woman was difficut to watch and made me reconsider my lack of creative ability may be a blessing for a happier life. And oh yeah, bad commericial for AshleyMadison...YIKES!
"Camille Claudel"
Written By: Cynthia White
WOW ! I love love love this film !!! Such a strong story to begin with and then top it off with two brilliant French actors and a true story and you have a phenominal masterpiece ! The story of Camille Claudel and Auguste Rodin is not just told in this film ..it is felt !!
"A tragic fall for a talented young artist"
Written By: C. B Collins Jr.
Camille Claudel was the young talented studio assistant to Auguste Rodin who became his muse and lover at a point in his career when he was a commercial success but had become devoid of inspiration. When he refused to leave his common-law wife of many years to marry Camille, she had an abortion and then gradually sunk into paranoid schizophrenia. This is the basic story. However the subtle manner in which the story is told and the unresolved issues in the life of Claudel elevate the film into a work of art.
The film explores the artistic muse and their relationship with the artist. Camille was a muse in that her images were fresh and vibrant which inspired Rodin. She was also a willful and socially disruptive iconoclastic young women and Rodin is attracted to her outbursts of emotion. He is twice her age and becomes her lover even though he has a common-law wife that he has no intention of leaving. Their collaborations on his sculptures inspired some of his best work. Yet her father wisely knew that she was losing herself in Rodin, putting her inspiration into his products, elevating his career and not her own. It is the nature of the artist to draw from all experiences and resources around him/her for the benefit of their art. Picasso's paintings when he is in love and inspired by a woman are very different from when he is rejecting the woman and he paints her as a monster. The relationship between Rodin and Claudel somewhat reminded me of the relationship between Francis Bacon and George Dyer in the film, Love is the Devil. Once Dyer reached the point where he no longer inspired Bacon and was in fact a liability due to alcoholism and addiction and mental illness, then Bacon withdraws in much the way Rodin withdraws from Claudel as she becomes increasingly disturbed.
The film is very beautiful to watch. The scenes of Paris and the countryside around the city, as well as the museums and exhibition halls in Paris are very beautiful and grand. The acting is superb with Isabelle Adjani and Gerard Depardieu dominating every scene. Adjani has the ability to play highly disturbed women to perfection. She is in virtually every scene in the film. It is virtually impossible not to watch her when she is on the screen.
"WARNING: DVD IS CUT BY 13 MINUTES!"
Written By: HH
This USA butchered DVD release has 13 minutes cut from it, excluding major plot points, whole sequences, violence, nudity and characters. This is NOT a review of the film, merely this substandard, shoddy MGM release. The UNCUT version on DVD is available in the UK, France, Spain, Italy, basically everywhere in the world but here!
"Beware of buying used DVD"
"How not to Sculpt when Angry?"
"Camille Claudel"
