Camille Claudel (1988)

Camille Claude impresses already-famous sculptor Auguste Rodin. He hires her as an assistant, but soon Camille begins to sculpt for herself and she also becomes his mistress. But after a while, she would like to get out of his shadow.

Director:

Bruno Nuytten

Writers:

Reine-Marie Paris (based on the book by), Bruno Nuytten (scenario and dialogue)

Stars:

Isabelle Adjani, Gérard Depardieu, Madeleine Robinson

Nominated for 2 Oscars. Another 7 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Isabelle Adjani	...	Camille Claudel
Gérard Depardieu	...	Auguste Rodin
Madeleine Robinson	...	Louise-Athanaise Claudel
Laurent Grévill	...	Paul Claudel
Philippe Clévenot	...	Eugène Blot
Katrine Boorman	...	Jessie Lipscomb
Maxime Leroux	...	Claude Debussy
Danièle Lebrun	...	Rose Beuret
Jean-Pierre Sentier	...	Limet
Roger Planchon	...	Morhardt
Aurelle Doazan	...	Louise Claudel
Madeleine Marie	...	Victoire
Alain Cuny	...	Louis-Prosper Claudel
Gérard Baume	...	(as Gérard Beaume)
Martin Berléand	...	Robert

Storyline

Biography of Camille Claudel. Sister of writer Paul Claudel, her enthusiasm impresses already-famous sculptor Auguste Rodin. He hires her as an assistant, but soon Camille begins to sculpt for herself and for Rodin. She also becomes his mistress. But after a while, she would like to get out of his shadow...

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Plot Keywords:

nude model | based on book | champagne | red wine | white wine | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

Some authors argue that Henrik Ibsen based his last play, 1899's "When We Dead Awaken", on Rodin's relationship with Claudel.

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Quotes

Camille Claudel: You're wrong to think it's about you. You're a sculptor, Rodin, not a sculpture. You ought to know. I am that old woman with nothing on her bones. And the aging young girl... that's also me. And the man is me too. Not you. I gave him my toughness. He gave me his emptiness in return. There you are... three times me. The Holy Trinity, trinity of emptiness.

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Alternate Versions

The North American theatrical release was cut to 158 minutes. The Region 1 VHS and DVD releases used this cut print. The full-length 175-minute version is available on Region 2 DVDs released in Europe. The version on Blu-Ray and Amazon Prime Video is 173 minutes, just 2 minutes short of the original European release.

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Connections

Featured in At the Movies: Oscar Nomination Surprises for 1989 (1990)

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Soundtracks

Spleen
from "Ariettes oubliées"
Music by Claude Debussy
Poem by Paul Verlaine
Performed by Barbara Hendricks soprano, Michel Beroff piano
(p) EMI Classics

User Reviews

Darkness and Light

This film is about the tragic failure of a genius. She fails not so much because of her tendency to make fatal mistakes but because of the shape those mistakes took in her mind. This, even as lesser personages prospered (e.g., Camille's brother Paul, the famous Catholic poet and diplomat) because they were not adverse to espousing convenient "beliefs" for the sake of earthly success. Many viewers will feel a strong affinity with Camille, not because they consider themselves geniuses but rather for the interior world she constructed that, without religion, gave the exterior world meaning. I say she was without religion, but in fact sculpture was her religion--at least until her final failure to gain the respect and patronage of capricious buyers. It was then that her religion (her meaningful myth) took the form of a conspiracy delusion. Powerful people, she thought (mostly, the sculptor Rodin, who had been her lover), were out to get her, thwarting her every move.

What we experience here is a thoughtful, scary exploration of the darkness that is a paradoxical part of all brilliance.

Details

Official Sites:

MGM

Country:

France

Language:

French English

Release Date:

21 December 1989 (USA)

Also Known As:

Camille Claudel

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$89,273, 25 December 1989

Gross USA:

$3,331,297

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$3,331,297

Company Credits

Production Co:

Les Films Christian Fechner, Lilith Films I.A., Gaumont

Technical Specs

Runtime:

158 min (cut)

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Color:

Color (Fujicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1