Total Eclipse (1995)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Agnieszka Holland

Writer:

Christopher Hampton (screenplay)

Release Date:

3 November 1995 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Touched by Genius. Cursed by Madness. Blinded by Love.

Plot:

The self-destructive relationship between 19th-century teenage French poet Arthur Rimbaud and his older mentor Paul Verlaine.

Plot Keywords:

Poet | Pregnant Wife | Self Destructive | Absinthe | Paris

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Eclipse totale (France) (DVD title)
Rimbaud Verlaine (France)

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

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:

Antwerpen, Antwerpen, Belgium

Company:

FIT Productions

Trivia:

David Thewlis shaved part of his head especially for the film so as to look like the real Verlaine.

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.

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...

Movie Connections:

Remake of Teljes napfogyatkozás (1989) (TV)

An excellent movie that showed the power love, sex, & lust was used by a man of genius.

I saw this movies many years ago long before Leonardo was a superstar as he is today and was riveted to the screen by the depth of his performance. The length to which he commented himself to this character was Oscar worthy, to say the least. I was so taken, I immediately preordered it to own and add to my collection. As I have watched it repeatedly over the years, my original assessment remains the same...a 10 plus! I am in shock that neither Leonardo nor the film industry has not made mention of this film when listing or crediting his fabulous and diverse character choices during his career. In my opinion, his work in this film is far and away better than even the Titanic. He really seemed to grasp every aspect of this tormented genius character which had far more depth than the Titanic character. I highly recommend you see and buy this movie.