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 & 10 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 its 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 | bisexuality | paris france | infidelity | 

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Taglines:

History is about to change.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for some sexuality/nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

The location shoot in Budapest was so warm at times, Dominic West wore a water vest inside his heavy costume that functioned like a car radiator, circulating cool water around his upper body. The contraption was recommended to him by John C. Reilly who used such an apparatus while playing the rotund Oliver Hardy in the biopic Stan & Ollie (2018).

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Goofs

The musical setting of Yeats' poem Down by the Sally Gardens likewise was published in 1909.

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Quotes

Colette: I can read you like the top line of an optician's chart.

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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

Featured in Late Night with Seth Meyers: Maya Rudolph/Fred Armisen/Dominic West (2018)

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Soundtracks

Étincelles in A Flat Major
Written by Emil Waldteufel (as Émile Waldteufel)
Performed by Alexandre Sorel
Licensed courtesy of Solstice Records, France

User Reviews

A fairly enjoyable movie

The tale of Gabrielle Colette is a fascinating one, as it turns out. I was completely unaware of her story before seeing the film, and emerged from the cinema feeling as though I had learnt a lot about this literary legend.

Keira Knightley is remarkable in the title role. This is career-best form from her. She carries the film wonderfully. Denise Gough is also great in the role of 'Missy'. The direction from Wash Westmoreland was also superb. He was able to successfully take the script, and deliver it in the best way possible.

However, the film lets itself down from a weaker story/script where it constantly struggles to find and execute more positive moments from Colette's story. Instead, it focuses on the more gloomy moments from her life, leaving the happier moments sidelined. Some of the supporting characters lack depth, including: Eleanor Tomlinson's 'Georgie' and Aiysha Hart's 'Polaire'. These characters play an integral part in Colette's story, but, their lack of screen time, and the way in which they're written in to the story makes the characters have no real impact in driving the film forward.

This movie does have a few flaws which, overall, lets it down. But, it was still an enjoyable movie.

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

Gross USA:

$5,137,622

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$14,273,033

Company Credits

Production Co:

Number 9 Films, Killer Films, Bold Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1