Picassos äventyr

I saw this film while in Hungary (even funnier with Hungarian subtitles - cause it looks so incomprehensible!).

Sadly, when I rented it here in the USA, I discovered that a large chunk of the film dealing with Picasso in New York during the prohibition of modern art, and his subsequent trial and escape had been ruthlessly cut by the US censors. Criminal. Can't we Americans relax and learn to laugh at ourselves, too??

Nonetheless, this is a hilarious film and, as Monty Python so often does, draws on our knowledge of history to make it's fractured-fairytale point. Strongly recommended for those who love wacky (though sometimes slightly sophomoric) humor with a light intellectual touch.

Hasse Alfredsson's and Tage Danielsson's films has always had a special place in my heart, and in particular "The Adventures of Picasso". The film is about Picasso's life and art, told through a distorted mirror.

For those not familiar with Hasse & Tage's style, it might seem to be a somewhat shallow and burlesque film, but it is more than a ordinary comedy. It also shows the trouble of becoming the victim of your own public image, and how the creativity and the personal life may suffer from it. In many ways it is a film in the same spirit as Charlie Chaplin's "The Dictator", slapstick mixed with reflection.

Pablo Picasso once said that "We all know that art is not the truth, art is a lie that makes us realize the truth" and I think that "The Adventures of Picasso" encompass this in a very nice way!

I also picked up this film on VHS at an independent video store, and I was very taken with it. First, the film is a masterpiece of physical acting. Even thought they were speaking a number of different European languages, without subtitles, I had no problem understanding what was going on. It also makes wonderful use of surrealist imagery. I don't know a lot about Picasso, but I imagine someone who did would find this a fresh and entertaining take on the life of the man. Like a piece of Picasso's art, this movie is beyond language, I was left feeling like I knew how the man thought. If you enjoy physical comedy, this may be the most highbrow movie of that kind you'll ever see.

This film is one of my favorites. I saw it in Europe for the first time and at least 5 five times since then and I still laughing loudly. It's very intelligent humor, full of love about a great man.

The only thing what shocked me is that the American version is missing many great parts. For instance the 'prohibition era' spoof is entirely cut out along with the Albert Schweitzer sketch.

Rent it out today and have a great time!

This movie contains so many weird and funny things that I think you could watch it 100 times and still discover new things in every scene! Every little detail is just so perfect and thought through. Things that you discover first after a while, i.e. that Picassos father is saying halvliter ("half liter") instead of "Heil Hitler". All the acting throughout the movie is spectacular. It has to be since all of the language in the movie (except for the narrator) is just rubbish really. Everything they "say" is enforced by acting and it's impressing how one can understand an entire movie without any real language. This is simply a thoughtful, beautiful, weird, spectacular, funny, great, epic movie. Watch it!