Home
search
more | tips
IMDb > Total Eclipse (1995)
Total Eclipse
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotes
Overview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv schedule
Awards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage board
Plot & Quotes
plot summaryplot synopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotes
Fun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQ
Other Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDesk
Promotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo gallery
External Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clips

Total Eclipse (1995) More at IMDbPro »

Photos (see all 17 | slideshow) Videos
Total Eclipse (1995) -- The self-destructive relationship between 19th-century teenage French poet Arthur Rimbaud and his older mentor Paul Verlaine.

Overview

User Rating:
6.2/10   3,699 votes
MOVIEmeter: ?
Down 1% in popularity this week. See rank & trends 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:
A literal literary must see dramatization... more

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
more
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

Fun Stuff

Trivia:
River Phoenix was originally attached to the project, but the part of Rimabud went to Leonardo DiCaprio after Phoenix's death. 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 19 people found the following comment useful:-
A literal literary must see dramatization..., 4 September 2004
9/10
Author: joe figlerski (joefiglerski) from Pennsylvania

There will be those who watch this film for DiCaprio, which is fine, then there will be those who watch this for the fact that it's about a French Poet, Rimbaud. The former is most likely the more probable, unfortunately, thus the rating of 5.7 at the time I'm writing this review, 4, September, 2004. Rimbaud was a poet who came to fame early on. Born in 1854, Jean-Nicolas-Arthur Rimbaud was one of four other siblings, a brother and three sisters, however, two of the three sisters passed. By fourteen, he was "winning nearly every academic competition he entered and by fifteen, had his first poem published in a literary review" (Mason, 2003). The police took interest in him as he was a trouble maker.

Some of his more famous writings, "A Season in Hell," "A Drunken Boat," and "First Night," are what he accomplished before giving up on writing at an equally young age, eighteen! Because he was so young, and maintained such excellence, he's been likened to similar prodigies such as Mozart, and Picasso. His is a work of certain genius which we can peer into - via this short dramatic biography - if we allow ourselves to pay close enough attention. I recommend this movie to any scholar, anyone interested in poetry/writing, anyone interested in prodigies, artists (or their madd, sometimes megalomania temperament), or depressives. Overall, it was good, it sparked remembrances of Robin Williams in "Dead Poet's Society" (1989), Gwyneth Paltrow in "Sylvia" (2003), and Sean Connery in "Finding Forrester" (2000). All are great writing flicks about love, loss, overcoming the human condition, or being ruined by it.

Was the above comment useful to you?
more

Message Boards

Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Total Eclipse (1995)
Recent Posts (updated daily)User
A line that makes no sense what so ever. hoabob
Are there sex scens in this movie? campbell2
why does rimbaud change? blue-lagoon
Missing scenes on t.v. (possible spoilers) sarahr31690
Online? moviemoguldp1
On dvd in australia? tank_killer21
more

Recommendations

If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
- - - - -
Edvard Munch Notes on a Scandal The Sheltering Sky Damage Le temps qui reste
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
IMDb User Rating:
Show more recommendations

Related Links

Full cast and crew Company credits External reviews
News articles IMDb Biography section IMDb UK section
Add this title to MyMovies

You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.