Cézanne et moi

If you didn't enjoy this movie you are probably neither artist nor author. That said the audience who is will love this film. The dialogue is witty, the acting superb, the dynamics between Zola and Cezanne fascinating.

The time frame is interesting. Outdoor (plein air) painting was made possible with the invention of oil colors in tubes, to vie with photography, and cheap books.

Only one mild disappointment. The film credits Cezanne's artistic genius yet does not discuss his clumsy draftsmanship of the human form. Perhaps in another film.

I'm surprised by the critics and bad ratings of this movie. Cézanne et Moi tells the relationship between Paul Cezzane and childhood friend Émile Zola, and their clash of personalities throughout their lives. Zola, shy and a little naif. Cezzane, conflictuous, at odds with his family and upset by his initial insuccesses, tries to hurt everyone around him, friends and lovers.

The film is a character study of artists in general, and of Cezzane and Zola in particular, including their ambition and selfishness. The constant flash back and forward in time has a purpose, as each conflict has a link to something happened in the past. All the cast delivers, with a special nod to the superb Guillaume Gallienne as Cezzane. On top of everything, the cherry on the cake: beautiful cinematography and scenary of Provance.

Whew boy! Saw a really wonderful movie last night. It is entitled Cezanne et Moi. Yep, a French movie. Actually, it was a Bro-mance, but I absolutely could not tear my eyes off of it. It was a visual, feast for the eyes, and compliments to the Cinematographer. I don't know how he did it (I'm thinking some kinds of filters), but he was able to light his film with brilliant Cezanne blues and pink and rose colors. Which, btw, prevented me from being able to take the time to read the subtitles because I was so busy being dazzled by the kaliedoscopic colors. The result was similiar to mirroring the desired effect of the painters. The impressionists were madly trying to capture an image which was held in a particular moment during the day when sunlight evoked a particular feeling. So the brush was flying, causing the impressionistic feel and look. And someone, A HACKER, caused my computer to "go dark." Now, thank you, I have to watch it again. But I don't mind...really. You are going to love it, I saw many Manets, Monets, Degas, Cezannes, etc. when I went to the Palace of the Legion of Honor, a museum in San Francisco. Actually, when I got to the Dutch Masters, I fell in love with my favorite painting, Fishing under the Ice on the Maas. The scene takes place at daybreak, I think, where the colors evoke the same impressionistic feeling. Anyway, I will see it again. I won't say when though; I don't want my pc to go dark again. :)

Well-made biographical drama is focused on the legends' complex and explosive friendship, with fully believable performances by Canet and Gallienne, and enhanced by Jean-Marie Dreujou's remarkable camerawork, but somehow neglects to explore or even explain the protagonists' importance in art and literature history.

Cezanne and I directed and written by Danièle Thompson is a movie that should never have been. It's a pragmatic and artless movie about artists of the second half of the XIXth Century.

It is a movie without purpose, the writing is poor and disjointed, it constantly jumps between different points in time without any purpose, or structure or even memory as some scenes seem to happen two or even three times.

What you will enjoy from this movie:

• the name dropping of some of the biggest artists of modern times
• the scenery towards the end of the movie

What you won't enjoy and the movie gets wrong:

• the portrayal of every character as a completely antipathetic, there is not one likeable character in the whole movie, even those with minimal texts such as Renoir or Manet who only talk to hate in this movie.
• the movie itself is deceiving, it isn't a movie about Cezanne but about Zola
• the artistic portraying of Cezanne who, apparently drew 99% of his canvas as portrait! What a strange choice from the director.
• the complete lack of artistry through the whole movie, be it from the cinematography, the direction, the writing or even the paintings shown through the movie.

The director clearly had no clue about art so why make a film about art other than self-indulgence?

Avoid.