Modigliani (2004)

Modigliani is a biography of the famous italian artist of the 19th century Amedeo Modigliani, who established himself in Paris. He was both a painter and a sculptor and his work focuses on portraits and nudes. The movie appeared in 2004 and is written and directed by Mick Davis. The cast begins with Andy Garcia who acts as Modigliani, Elsa Zylberstein as Jeanne Hebuterne, Modigliani’s wife, Omid Djalili as Picasso and continues with many others. From my point of view this is a movie worth seeing because it has a hidden message and it helps us make an idea of what was like to be an artist after The Great War.

To begin with, the movie presents Modigiliani’s life. He appears here as a self – destructive artist who ruins others person’s lives. The place where the action takes place is Paris just after the Great War, when many of the great artists of the world came together. There is Pablo Picasso, Diego Rivera, Jean Cocteau, Maurice Utrillo, Bartoleme Murillo, Chaim Soutine, and Modigliani. The film begins with a woman asking the audience, "Have you ever loved someone so deeply that you are willing to go to hell for him?" Then the film flashes back to one year earlier. The woman asking the question is Jeanne Hebuterne. She was Modigliani's lover and model. The famous creators of modern art meet and socialize and the center of this clique is Pablo Picasso. Somehow outside the circle is Modigliani who feels an unreasoning hate for Picasso, not explained but probably inspired by jealousy. He is the negative element of the artistic scene and tries to taunt Picasso at any time. Picasso and Modigliani seem to go from liking each other to hating each other for no apparent reason.

The center of the script is Modigliani's stormy relationship with Jeanne. Her father rejects the artist because he is Jewish. Her mother thinks that it will do no good to reject him because he is her daughter's destiny. The beauty of this movie stays in the genuine love between Modigliani and Jeanne which has enough strength to survive although everybody seems to be against them. Jeanne moves with him, but they are poor and, to make things worse, Modigliani drinks a lot and steals from others to have money to pay his vice. It is admirable how much Jeanne loves him as she is capable to risk everything to remain with him, despite his problems.

Meanwhile Hebuterne has to make some very difficult choices between her family and her lover. Modigliani himself is obviously self-indulgent to the point of using the people who love him. He will not control his use of drugs and alcohol in spite of his tuberculosis. What is interesting about the writer’s vision is the imaginary dialogue which Modigliani has with him as a little child. He follows Modigliani everywhere and talks to him whenever he feels the need to do it.

The story continues to be captivating. The lightning and the colours are rather dull and contribute to the creation of an accurate atmosphere for a dramatic course of life. Moreover, the plot line is not a predictable one and the music is suitable and manages to create the pretended state of mind for a dramatic certain scene. Sasha Lazard’s song, Ode to Innocence is specific for this movie and increases the suspense before the climax, when all the artists have to draw a special painting for a drawing contest. The high tide of successive snapshots of every artist trying to give his best and the classical music line which accompanies this sequence is so touching that anyone who sees the movie could not even think about missing its end.

Of course, the amount of breath – taking details and other captivating scenes are not included in the review in order to increase the suspense of those who are interested in seeing the movie. The last part is one of the most interesting and at the same time shocking, but the effect created in the movie is admirable. Finally, Jeanne and Modi have a baby, a little girl and soon after, she will be pregnant again. The contest of drawings has a very big stake, and this could be the salvation of Modi and Jeanne. All the paintings are remarkable, but the one of Modi amazes everybody, because he will include in this painting a detail that he has never drawn before.

To put it in a nutshell, I consider this movie to be not only touching and impressive, because of the love story, but also educative, due to the information implied about the time when the action takes place. It is indeed an impressive movie which deserves all applauses. It also received received two nominations. One for Outstanding Art Direction & Production Design and one for Outstanding Costume Design. It is one of my favourite movies and it made me feel deeply moved after I saw it. I guarantee that nobody will regret seeing this movie. I hold myself from unveiling you the end and neither other significant details in order to protect the mistery of the movie. I hope these facts I mentioned are strong enough to determine you to see the movie and enjoy it at the same time.