The Moderns (1988)

A struggling artist is hired to forge paintings, causing him to cross paths with his ex-wife and her powerful new husband.

Director:

Alan Rudolph

Writers:

Alan Rudolph, Jon Bradshaw

Stars:

Keith Carradine, Linda Fiorentino, Wallace Shawn

2 wins & 5 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Keith Carradine	...	Nick Hart
Linda Fiorentino	...	Rachel Stone
Wallace Shawn	...	Oiseau
Geneviève Bujold	...	Libby Valentin (as Genevieve Bujold)
Geraldine Chaplin	...	Nathalie de Ville
Kevin J. O'Connor	...	Hemingway
John Lone	...	Bertram Stone
Charlélie Couture	...	L'Evidence (as Charlelie Couture)
Elsa Raven	...	Gertrude Stein
Ali Giron	...	Alice B. Toklas
Gailard Sartain	...	New York Critic
Michael Wilson	...	Surrealist Poet
Robert Gould	...	Blackie
Antonia Dauphin	...	Babette
Véronique Bellegarde	...	Laurette (as Veronique Bellegarde)

Storyline

Nick Hart is a struggling American artist who lives amongst the expatriate community in 1920s Paris. He spends most of his time drinking and socializing in local cafés and pestering gallery owner Libby Valentin to sell his paintings. He becomes involved in a plot by wealthy art patroness Nathalie de Ville to forge three paintings. This leads to several run-ins with American rubber magnate Bertram Stone, who happens to be married to Hart's ex-wife Rachel.

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Plot Keywords:

painting | drinking | art patroness | 1920s | expatriate | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama | Romance

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Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French

Release Date:

May 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Les modernes

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$3,500,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$2,011,497

Company Credits

Production Co:

Nelson Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

126 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby (as Dolby Stereo)

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The actress playing famed avant-garde Alice B. Toklas, Ali Giron, had a similar first name to the character she was portraying.

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Quotes

Oiseau: [while observing his own faked funeral] If it weren't for me, these people would think surreal was a breakfast food!

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Connections

Featured in Hollywood Mavericks (1990)

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Soundtracks

Really the Blues
Performed by Sidney Bechet
Written by Mezz Mezzrow
Courtesy of RCA Records

User Reviews

Rudolph's best! (Along with perhaps Choose Me).

I must admit Alan Rudolph's work is hard to either greatly admire or sternly criticize. He has become one of these directors, like David Cronenberg or Paul Verhooven, that some love and some despise. But, the reality is it is hard to know where such directors stand. I must say that my feeling that Rudolph's films were too much like his mentor Robert Altman's has been changed upon seeing "The Moderns." While I am a huge fan of Altman, it has been hard for me too admire directors that seem too merely imitate him. But, this film is much more surreal than anything that Altman has done, especially in recent years. The film also establishes a clear mood and setting. Rudolph also selects very solid shots throughout the film. If there has been one disadvantage of the cinema medium over stage, it is that the audience can not see an actor's immediate response to a given situation because the focus is on another character. But, here Rudolph lets you inside virtually each of the characters. The cast is also solid. Keith Carradine is at his best. It is a shame that he now apparently has to go to Iceland to find cinematic roles, but if one thinks Jeff Bridges is an underrated actor there is proof- at least in this film--- that Carradine has been overlooked even more. I also think Wallace Shawn is great here, which is amazing considering that I am NOT a fan of the film "My Dinner with Andre." And, lastly Mark Isham's score is brilliant in this film. It may not be a film for all tastes, and because of its simplistic nature it is understandable why this film gets lost in the shuffle when it comes to discussions about great films from the 80s. Nevertheless, I think it is a remarkable film if not for anything else it does prove that an American can make a great movie set in Paris, which is not a musical, even if it was (as this film was) shot in Montreal!