Modigliani (2004)

The story of Amedeo Modigliani's bitter rivalry with Pablo Picasso, and his tragic romance with Jeanne Hebuterne.

Director:

Mick Davis

Writer:

Mick Davis

Stars:

Andy Garcia, Elsa Zylberstein, Omid Djalili

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Andy Garcia	...	Amedeo Modigliani
Elsa Zylberstein	...	Jeanne Hébuterne
Omid Djalili	...	Pablo Picasso
Hippolyte Girardot	...	Maurice Utrillo
Eva Herzigova	...	Olga Picasso
Udo Kier	...	Max Jacob
Susie Amy	...	Beatrice Hastings
Peter Capaldi	...	Jean Cocteau (as Peter Capadli)
Louis Hilyer	...	Zborowski
Stevan Rimkus	...	Soutine
Dan Astileanu	...	Diego Rivera (as Dan Astilean)
George Ivascu	...	Moise Kisling
Michelle Newell	...	Eudoxie Hébuterne
Frederico Ambrosino	...	Little Dedo
Miriam Margolyes	...	Gertrude Stein

Storyline

Set in Paris in 1919, biopic centers on the life of late Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani, focusing on his last days as well as his rivalry with Pablo Picasso. Modigliani, a Jew, has fallen in love with Jeanne, a young and beautiful Catholic girl. The couple has an illegitimate child, and Jeanne's bigoted parents send the baby to a faraway convent to be raised by nuns. Modigliani is distraught and needs money to rescue and raise his child. The answer arrives in the shape of Paris' annual art competition. Prize money and a guaranteed career await the winner. Neither Modigliani, nor his dearest friend and rival Picasso have ever entered the competition, believing that it is beneath true artists like themselves. But push comes to shove with the welfare of his child on the line, and Modigliani signs up for the competition in a drunken and drug-induced tirade. Picasso follows suit and all of Paris is aflutter with excitement at who will win. With the balance of his relationship with Jeanne...

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Plot Keywords:

modigliani | one word title | montparnasse | character name in title

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Taglines:

His passion was life. His obsession was art.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some language and drug use

Details

Official Sites:

Limelight [fr]

Country:

USA France Germany Italy Romania UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 September 2004 (France)

Also Known As:

Untitled Modigliani Project

Filming Locations:

Bucharest, Romania

Box Office

Budget:

$14,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$1,971 (USA) (10 June 2005)

Gross:

$195,378 (USA) (15 July 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Lucky 7 Productions LLC, Media Pro Pictures, Alicéléo

Technical Specs

Runtime:

128 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Goofs

When Jeanne and Modi dance in the street, they are dancing to "La Vie en Rose" by Edith Piaf, which was not popular until the 1940s. Piaf was born in 1915.

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Quotes

Pablo Picasso: Why do you hate me so much?
Amedeo Modigliani: I love you, Pablo. It's myself I hate.

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Soundtracks

"Ode to Innocence"
Performed by Sasha Lazard
Composed by Giulio Caccini, James Ide & Dale Wardlaw

User Reviews

Modigliani-art about art

I find Modigliani a movie worth to be seen! Some of you might consider it doesn't capture the real "spirit" of that era or that it's being put too much accent on the painter's madness and on his interior drama; but this is Modigliani in Mick Davis's conception, it's a movie not a documentary! The soundtrack is perfectly chosen to amplify the feelings transmitted by the excellent performance of the actors. It is more than a cinematographic production. It is a symbiosis between passion and love, human nature and vices. The memories of Amedeo about his childhood, the reproofs of "Modigliani-the little boy ", the incapacity of resisting to temptations and the permanent psychological pressure given by having such a rivalry have driven him to auto-destruction. It is the destiny of a man who passed away just a moment before tasting success... I consider Modigliani-the movie- art about art.