When it comes to mainstream films, by the time you’ve seen the previews, the interviews, the articles and the reviews, you feel like you’ve already seen a movie before you’ve even had a chance to see it. That’s one of the reasons why I like smaller films. They don’t get that kind of exposure so you come into them with a clean palette and no preconceptions. With mainstream films, they give too much away.
When I went to see Seraphine, I had never heard of this painter before, so I took my artist friend again, who was unfamiliar with her as well. All I knew about her was that she was a housekeeper who painted at night and was discovered by a famous art critic who also championed Picasso, Brague and Rousseau. What we both found fascinating about the film is that it had the pace of a stroll through a museum, yet we found ourselves transfixed. We are watching this woman do the most mundane, boring, everyday things, yet we couldn’t take our eyes off of her.
To quote Wilhelm Uhde, Seraphine was a cleaning woman with the temperament of an artist. She would run around town all day long doing odd jobs and cleaning houses just to earn enough money to buy varnish and white paint. The pigments she created herself from nature and her own secret formulas. She was an eccentric, but a truly gifted woman.
If it weren’t for World War I, Seraphine de Senlis may have been discovered by the world much earlier. Uhde bought all her earliest paintings and encouraged her to paint more. But when the war broke out, being German, he had to flee France and leave all his paintings behind. It took him years to recover and he assumed Seraphine was dead. By the time he discovered that she was still alive and painting, she was an old woman, barely hanging on.
As mentioned earlier, this film is very slow, but it is also extremely interesting. When you leave the theatre you’ll want to go straight to a museum or library and look her up. The beauty of a film like this is that you are educated as well as moved. We are given a chance to see the soul of a remarkable women who almost remained unknown. If it weren’t for seekers of beauty and film makers who make note of them, Seraphine may still be unknown. I’m glad to have made this discovery.
Rating: First Run The portrait of a gifted artist, beautifully rendered
About Me
- Melanie Wilson
- My Reviewer's Philosophy: I believe that every film has its audience. One man’s Citizen Kane is another man’s Texas Chain Saw Massacre. My purpose is to help you spend your entertainment dollars wisely. A bad review never kept me from going to a film I wanted to see, but a good review will sometimes get me to a film I never considered. As a movie lover I want you to go to the movies. When more people go to the movies, the more movies get made. But, I also believe that if you enjoy the films you see, you naturally will be inclined to go more often. So join me in supporting our film industry by going to a movie today. Hopefully I can steer you towards a good one. See you at the movies. Melanie Wilson
No comments:
Post a Comment