Le mystère Picasso (1956)

A filmed record of Pablo Picasso painting numerous canvases for the camera, allowing us to see his creative process at work.

Director:

Henri-Georges Clouzot

Stars:

Pablo Picasso, Henri-Georges Clouzot, Claude Renoir

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Pablo Picasso	...	Himself

Storyline

Using a specially designed transparent 'canvas' to provide an unobstructed view, Picasso creates as the camera rolls. He begins with simple works that take shape after only a single brush stroke. He then progresses to more complex paintings, in which he repeatedly adds and removes elements, transforming the entire scene at will, until at last the work is complete.

---

Plot Keywords:

painting | pablo picasso | creative process | painter | artist | 

---

Genres:

Documentary

---

Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

France

Language:

French

Release Date:

18 May 1956 (France)

Also Known As:

The Mystery of Picasso

Box Office

Gross:

$267,836 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Filmsonor

Technical Specs

Runtime:

78 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric)

Color:

Black and White Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Special transparent 'canvases' were constructed so that Pablo Picasso could paint on one side and 'Renoir, Claude' and Henri-Georges Clouzot could film the other.

---

Connections

Featured in Zomergasten: Episode #8.5 (1995)

User Reviews

Better than expected

I've always known that Pablo Picasso was one of the most prolific characters of the 20th century. I've also heard about how this film was made many times before, that is with the translucent screen between the camera and Picasso. At the beginning I thought that it was a bit slow and I remember wondering if I was in the midst of 2 hours of Picasso drawing picture after picture. And indeed it was, with a few breaks where we actually see and hear Picasso interact with the camera men. But, amazingly, once you get into watching the short drawing exercises, it becomes very captivating. You aren't sure what he's drawing, and then a line and a squiggle later it is a bull or a woman or whatever. The most mesmerizing part though, as another writer said, was when he was painting the beach scene and he kept painting over his work over and over again. What he was painting over was amazing and it made you wonder why he felt like it just didn't work.