IMDb > Total Eclipse (1995)
Total Eclipse
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Total Eclipse (1995) More at IMDbPro »

Videos (see all 3 NEW)
Total Eclipse (1995) -- The self-destructive relationship between 19th-century teenage French poet Arthur Rimbaud and his older mentor Paul Verlaine.
Total Eclipse (1995) -- Trailerfan.com - Trailer (Flash)
Total Eclipse (1995) -- Sinematurk - Trailer (Flash)

Overview

User Rating:
6.3/10   3,897 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 16% in popularity this week. See why on IMDbPro.
Director:
Agnieszka Holland
Writer:
Christopher Hampton (screenplay)
Contact:
View company contact information for Total Eclipse on IMDbPro.
Release Date:
3 November 1995 (USA) more
Tagline:
Touched by Genius. Cursed by Madness. Blinded by Love. more
Plot:
The self-destructive relationship between 19th-century teenage French poet Arthur Rimbaud and his older mentor Paul Verlaine. full summary | add synopsis
Awards:
1 nomination more
User Comments:
Art is long, love hurts, and poetry needs words. more (71 total)

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Leonardo DiCaprio ... Arthur Rimbaud

David Thewlis ... Paul Verlaine
Romane Bohringer ... Mathilde Maute
Dominique Blanc ... Isabelle Rimbaud
Felicie Pasotti Cabarbaye ... Isabelle, as a child
Nita Klein ... Rimbaud's Mother
James Thiérrée ... Frederic
Emmanuelle Oppo ... Vitalie
Denise Chalem ... Mrs. Maute De Fleurville
Andrzej Seweryn ... Mr. Maute De Fleurville
Christopher Thompson ... Carjat

Bruce Van Barthold ... Aicard
Christopher Chaplin ... Charles Cros
Christopher Hampton ... The Judge
Mathias Jung ... Andre
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Create a character page for: ?

Additional Details

Also Known As:
Eclipse totale (France) (DVD title)
Rimbaud Verlaine (France)
more
MPAA:
Rated R for strong sexuality and nudity, language, and some startling violence.
Runtime:
111 min
Country:
UK | France | Belgium
Language:
English
Color:
Color
Aspect Ratio:
1.85 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Dolby SR
Certification:
Iceland:16 | Australia:MA (15+) | Singapore:(Banned) | Denmark:15 (video rating) (self applied) | Argentina:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:18 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:III | Italy:VM18 | Portugal:M/16 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:R
Filming Locations:
Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium more

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
John Malkovich was initially attached to play Verlaine, but pulled out. more
Goofs:
Anachronisms: In the Café Andre where the adult Isabelle Rimbaud meets with Paul Verlaine, the typeface on the window is clearly in Helvetica, a typeface that was not created until 1954. more
Quotes:
[first lines]
Paul Verlaine: Sometimes he speaks in a kind of tender dialect of the death which causes repentence, of the unhappy men who certainly exist, of painful tasks and heartrending departures. In the hovels where we got drunk he wept looking at those who surrounded us, the cattle of poverty...
more
Movie Connections:
Remake of Teljes napfogyatkozás (1989) (TV) more

FAQ

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.
15 out of 16 people found the following comment useful.
Art is long, love hurts, and poetry needs words., 6 January 2003
7/10
Author: Stefan Stenudd from Malmo, Sweden

Of course there is pain and monstrosity in love. Two wild poets would need to live that out. But can a movie about it make any sense, without a fair portion of their poetry?

Michelangelo said that painting excels when it approaches sculpture, and sculpture when it comes close to relief. An art form is enhanced when nearing its periphery, almost turning into another art form. Along this line, I am sure that the poetry of Rimbaud and Verlaine would have stood forward excellently, when recited in the movie about their relation. It would also have helped in making their interactions understandable.

After seeing the movie a second time, I read some of Rimbaud's writings, and there was a slightly different character emerging from his words, than the one portrayed, though excellently, by Leonardo DiCaprio. Rimbaud's own words show that he was a victim just as much as a predator. Of course, he would say so, himself, but also: this modification would have made the movie rise beyond the black and white polarity it is too often caught in.

Still, I enjoyed the movie tremendously, mostly thanks to Leo and the way he made his character fire up. He might have been type-cast, to do the obnoxious adolescent, but they got more than they bargained for - he included the most important aspect of Rimbaud: the prodigy poet, the artist living for art, loving for art.

His acting is sometimes stunning, and not only in delicate scenes where minute nuances are essential, but also in all kinds of silliness in between. To hear him bark like a dog, really like a dog - did he do that himself, or was there an added sound effect? The pause, and the slightly humorous expression on his face, right before he tells his fellow poet that he expects more from him than his words. His posture and cocky moving about in the Paris of the noble poets, and his running on all four in the countryside. Brilliant acting.

There's a lot of formidable acting also on behalf of the others in the cast, even when the script and the direction works against them. And it does, more than once. Maybe the plot got all confused, simply because the poetry of the poets was not taken into account.

But a film gone awry can still be a wonderful experience. Frustrating, but wonderful. This one is.

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Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Total Eclipse (1995)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
how bad is the movie? mail4Danielle
Are there sex scens in this movie? campbell2
this is about leonardo mail4Danielle
A line that makes no sense what so ever. hoabob
why does rimbaud change? blue-lagoon
Missing scenes on t.v. (possible spoilers) sarahr31690
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