Colette (2018)

Colette is pushed by her husband to write novels under his name. Upon their success, she fights to make her talents known, challenging gender norms.

Director:

Wash Westmoreland

Writers:

Richard Glatzer (screenplay by), Wash Westmoreland (screenplay by)

Stars:

Keira Knightley, Fiona Shaw, Dominic West

1 win & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Keira Knightley	...	Colette
Fiona Shaw	...	Sido
Dominic West	...	Willy
Robert Pugh	...	Jules
Sloan Thompson	...	Matilde
Arabella Weir	...	Mme. de Caillavet
Máté Haumann	...	Count Muffat
Ray Panthaki	...	Veber
Al Weaver	...	Schwob
Virág Bárány	...	Lotte Kinceler
Dickie Beau	...	Wague
Kylie Watt	...	Opera Singer
Janine Harouni	...	Jeanne de Caillavet
Jake Graf	...	Gaston de Caillavet
Joe Geary	...	Bailiff

Storyline

After marrying successful Parisian writer Henry Gauthier-Villars, known commonly as "Willy" (Dominic West), Gabrielle Colette (Keira Knightley) is transplanted from her childhood home in rural France to the intellectual and artistic splendor of Paris. Soon after, Willy convinces Colette to ghostwrite for him. Colette, in turn, pens a semi-autobiographical novel about a witty and brazen country girl named Claudine, sparking a bestseller and a cultural sensation. After it's success, Colette and Willy become the talk of Paris and their adventures inspire additional Claudine novels. Colette's fight over creative ownership and gender roles drives her to overcome societal constraints, revolutionizing literature, fashion and sexual expression.

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Plot Keywords:

lesbian kiss | novelist | paris france | exploitation | husband wife relationship | 

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Taglines:

Based on a true story.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality/nudity

Details

Official Sites:

Official site Official site [Japan]

Country:

UK USA France Hungary Netherlands

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 December 2018 (Netherlands)

Also Known As:

Colette

Filming Locations:

Budapest, Hungary

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$161,179, 23 September 2018, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$5,137,622, 29 November 2018

Company Credits

Production Co:

Number 9 Films, Killer Films, Bold Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Colette was born of the interest of Richard Glatzer, partner and companion of the director, to the French author. In 1999, he began to read books about her and came up with the idea of making it the subject of a film. While Wash Westmoreland and Glatzer were in the spotlight thanks to Julianne Moore's Oscar for Still Alice, they decided to finally tackle Colette. Unfortunately, Glatzer was hospitalized and could only communicate through an iPad application to convert text to sound using a toe. He dies shortly after.

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Goofs

In the dance studio scene which takes place in 1904, a pianist is seen playing Golliwog's Cake-walk by Debussy (repeated by orchestra in the soundtrack). The piece was not composed until 1909.

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Quotes

Colette: My name is Gabrielle Colette and the hand that holds the pen writes history.

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Crazy Credits

There is a dedication to Richard Glatzer, who co-wrote the film's screenplay with Wash Westmoreland, shortly before the closing credits: "For Richard".

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Connections

Referenced in The Graham Norton Show: Olivia Colman/Nicholas Hoult/Keira Knightley/Guy Pearce/Catherine Tate/Rita Ora (2018)

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Soundtracks

Children's Corner, L.113: VI Cakewalk
Written by Claude Debussy
Arranged by Anthony Weeden

User Reviews

Very well done; changing history? Not so nice.

Very well done, interesting. A nice period piece. However, at the end the director states, after I thought I was watching a movie that was historically accurate, that he had changed several characters and other aspects to make them more contemporary (meaning: what he thinks the way things ought to have been 100+ years ago, vs reality) re: gender, sexual preference, racial matters, etc. As such, the movie to a degree is fiction; a lie. Which is sad, as it detracts from the ground breaking path that Colette lived.