Séraphine (2008)

User Rating:

7.3/10   

Director:

Martin Provost

Writers:

Marc Abdelnour (written by)
Martin Provost (writer)

Release Date:

1 October 2008 (France)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | War

Plot:

Based on the life of French painter Séraphine de Senlis.

Plot Keywords:

Art | German | Artist | Painter | French

Awards:

15 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Yolande Moreau	...	Séraphine Louis, dite Séraphine de Senlis
Ulrich Tukur	...	Wilhelm Uhde
Anne Bennent	...	Anne-Marie Uhde
Geneviève Mnich	...	Mme Duphot
Nico Rogner	...	Helmut Kolle
Adélaïde Leroux	...	Minouche
Serge Larivière	...	Duval
Françoise Lebrun	...	La mère supérieure
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Jean-Pascal Abribat	...	Francis Gouyet - Journalist
Anne Benoît	...	Mme Delonge
Joëlle Bobbio	...	L'ouvrière en chef
Sandrine Bodenes	...	Marie-Louise - Wilhelm's cook
Léna Breban	...	Soeur Marguerite (as Léna Bréban)
Rosine Favey	...	Une invitée de Mme Duphot
Serge Gaborieau	...	Le médecin
Hélène Hardouin
Francis Lacloche	...	Le notaire
Corentin Lobet	...	L'interne
Josette Ménard	...	La bouchère
Dominique Pozzetto	...	Anatole Duphot
Sophie Raive
Muriel Riou	...	Berthe - Wilhelm's maid

Also Known As:

Seraphine (Australia)

Runtime:

125 min | Canada:121 min (Toronto International Film Festival)

Country:

France | Belgium

Language:

French | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital

Certification:

Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | South Korea:12 | France:U | Canada:G (British Columbia) | New Zealand:M | USA:Unrated | Portugal:M/12 (Qualidade) | Ireland:PG | Australia:PG

Filming Locations:

Cathédrale, Senlis, Oise, France

Company:

TS Productions

Trivia:

French visa # 117074 delivered on 27-7-2008.

Soundtrack:

La femme aux bijoux

Beautiful cinematography and good acting don't equal a great film

I enjoy French films very much and saw Seraphine in Paris. While the movie looks beautiful and the acting is excellent, overall the film bored me. There wasn't enough dramatic tension or intense character development to sustain my interest. I was very surprised that it won so many awards, but then again if the French academy is similar to the one in the U.S., they tend to play it safe. Seraphine is worth seeing if you are interested in thinking about the artistic soul. But there is nothing groundbreaking here. I would have liked to see a version of this artist's life that was less academic and more thought provoking. The one thing I admired very much was the performance of the lead actress. I was trying to imagine anyone equivalent to her in the U.S. and was unable to conjure any names. She is not classically beautiful, yet clearly she is an actress of great stature in France to have won this role. The lesson I took away from the film was the appreciation of talent, both of Seraphine and the actress who portrayed her.