Customer Reviews

The Impressionists

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I eagerly awaited the release of this DVD. I fell in love with Richard Armitage in North & South (who didn't) and I have always been a fan of the French Impressionists, especially Monet. I thought that the miniseries was very well made, bringing actual paintings into the script, and really put the whole period into context. The acting was excellent and the script was well written. That said, this is not a fast moving drama, and those expecting such will be disappointed. There were several funny lines, but overall, it was a slow but beautiful story. I was a little disappointed with the amount of time that was devoted to Cezanne, especially in contrast to how little time was devoted to Renoir. The mini-series is very ambitious--it spans a historical time period of over 40 years. Obviously in three hours there were things that had to be omitted, but it stayed true to the spirit of the Impressionist movement and was enjoyable to watch. If you are a fan of BBC period Drama, I would add this to your collection.

I really did not know what to expect when I bought this dvd. It really explores the whole impressionist movement from the beginning. It covers the artists: Monet, Manet, Renoir, Degas, Bazille and Cezanne. These artists were all interconnected with one another and suffered great rejection from the art establishment for years. I was really engrossed in the personal stories of each artist from youth to the end of their lives. The stories show how some of the paintings were created and at the end of the scenes, the genuine paintings were displayed. I am an artist myself and particularly enjoyed seeing this. With genius usually comes oddity and you will not be disappointed. Besides the art history lesson, the series also demonstrates that reaching for one's dreams, even in the face of adversity, pays off. Touching story from which I learned a great deal.

I had initially bought this based solely on the fact that Richard Armitage is in it. I was not disappointed. It is an incredibly engaging piece dedicated to the life of Claude Monet and his circle of artist friends of the time. I did not know much about TI before this so it was a wonderful lesson in art. The most enjoyable parts were when the paintings we all know so well had been brought to life right in front of my eyes. The subject, the surroundings, the story behind the paintings were revealed. We know them so well today as the greats but here we get to see the struggles they went thru at the time and how they were treated by their contemporaries. It's one that I've happily added to my DVD library and would watch again.

Sorry to be a wet blanket but annoyance and disbelief were my main emotions as I watched this so-called "true story". I am not denying that what is shown is mostly true; it is what has been left out that makes me cross. Where is Pissarro, whom Monet met before he met Renoir, and who was the stabilising influence behind the whole movement? When Renoir says he feels Impressionism has run its course, Monet bemoans that he is the "only one left". Actually there was also Sisley, who was at Gleyre's studio with them and was arguably the purest Impressionist of them all; there was Berthe Morisot and there was Mary Cassatt. Pissarro and Morisot were the only ones who exhibited in ALL the Impressionist exhibitions. Early on Monet says he invented open-air painting. Actually, he didn't - Corot and the Barbizons painted in the open air before he did, and he was introduced to it by Boudin. He says shadow is coloured because he can 'see' it. Actually it was Delacroix who first made that discovery. And so on. For the life of me I cannot see why history has to be over-simplified as if we can't cope with a few more characters and accurate facts.

What an absolute joy! I've read a great deal about the Impressionist movement but the artists never came alive for me they way they did in this film. Everything -- the acting, the cinematography, the music, the editing -- combined for one of the most beautiful, enjoyable and informative films I've ever seen. I don't think I'll ever look at a painting by Manet, Monet, Renoir, Degas or Cezanne again without thinking of this movie. BRAVO!!!!

I didn't know this 2006 BBC mini-series existed until I kept seeing clips from it in Youtube vids featuring actor Richard Armitage. Since RA looked really hot and as I have an Art History degree it seemed like a natural. It was an entrancing three hours!

It is a quasi-documentary centered around several of the founders of the Impressionist movement-Manet, Renoir, Degas, Bazille, Cezanne, etc. It is told from the perspective of an aged Monet who is portrayed in flashback by Armitage. Beginning in 1866 when several of them are in art school together, it follows the remainder of their lives. Some viewers may have quibbles with omissions, artistic license, etc., however, I found it fascinating, informative and visually stunning. It is an interesting perspective to realize there was a time when Impressionism was seen as avant garde and even ugly.

The excellent cinematography allows a visual experience of the qualities the Impressionists were trying to convey and there are wonderful dissolves from the scenes into the actual paintings. The costumes are impeccable as most of them were taken from the clothing in the paintings. Monet's charming family life and Giverny are beautifully portrayed.

The actors are all excellent but Armitage shines in his role as Claude Monet *the blue of his painting smock matches his eyes*. The scenes of him conveying his joy in the qualities of smoke, fog and dappled sunshine really should open the viewers eyes to the simple beauty in our world. I found his compulsive desire to convey the wonders of color, even while sketching the face of his dying wife, to be very moving. It is a bit macabre but I know that Diego Riviera sketched the bone structure of the newly cremated body of Frieda Kahlo before she slowly dissolved into ash. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder and the artist.

As BBC historical dramas go, this one is informative, well performed and beautifully photographed. Art historians, however, may question how well it represents the artists, their work, and their relationships. It falls rather neatly into the shape of a miniseries, and one is left to wonder what's been left out and what's been enhanced to conform to the requirements of the genre. For me, the absence of Pissarro was unexpected, and I would like to have learned more about Renoir, who seemed more of a playful side-kick to the rest of the group of painters who challenged the officially approved style of art that ruled the salons of Paris in the 1880s.

Shaping this material (we are told it is a "true story" based on interviews and documents) must have been a particular challenge for the writers Colin Swash and Sarah Woods. And it's finally hard to say what the central thread of the story is meant to be. Much is made of how vicious was the early objection to their work - and how dire their poverty - yet as the painters become accepted, we don't learn how the shift happened or what was the tipping point. By this time in the story, there's more emphasis on Monet's domestic affairs, and Cezanne assumes the role of the artist whose work is reviled as "ugly."

The frame around the narrative (Monet being interviewed in 1920) seems a cumbersome device; the scenes between himself and the journalist lack dramatic interest. It remains difficult to the end to see the continuity between the underfed and sparsely bearded younger man and the portly older artist obsessed with his water lilies and sporting a beard the size of a shovel. Though many years pass, the characters seem not to age or to be much affected by the remarkable developments in their lives, rising from obscurity and poverty to fame and fortune. Maybe all that is too much to ask from a miniseries, but its absence leaves it all very pretty to look at, as it should be, yet seeming a little contrived.

Koch Vision present "THE IMPRESSIONISTS" (2006) (177 mins/Color) (Dolby Digital) --- Under Tim Dunn (Director), Kim Thomas (Executive Producer), Colin Swash (Screenwriter), Sarah Woods (Screenwriter), Chris Nicolaides (Original Music), Andrea Carnevali (Editor), Jan Walker (Production Design), Susie Coulthard (Costumer Design), Diane Kasperowicz (Second Assistant Director) ------ the cast includes Julian Glover (Claude Monet - Older), Richard Armitage (Young Claude Monet), Charlie Condou (Renoir), James Lance (Bazille), Aden Gillett (Degas), Crispin Bonham-Carter (Ambroise Vollard), Anthony Calf (Emile Zola), Michael Culver (Cézanne's father), Andrew Havill (Manet), Will Keen (Cézanne), Tommy Knight (Paul Cezanne Junior), Jo McInnes (Hortense), Clive Merrison (Charles Gleyre), Ellie Piercy (Victorine), Isobel Pravda (Camille Monet), Amanda Root (Alice Hoschedé) ------ our story line "Three hour mini-series tells the intimate history of a most illustrious brotherhood of Impressionist artists - Monet, Degas, Renoir, Cézanne and Manet. Entirely based on documentary evidence, special effects transport the viewer inside some of the world's best-loved paintings, The Impressionists will recreate the illuminated landscapes, and haunting portraits of late 19th-century France."

The name of the movement is derived from the title of a Claude Monet work, Impression, Sunrise (Impression, soleil levant), which provoked the critic Louis Leroy to coin the term in a satiric review published in Le Charivari ... Impressionism was a 19th century art movement that began as a loose association of Paris-based artists, who began exhibiting their art publicly in the 1860s ... Characteristics of Impressionist painting include visible brushstrokes, light colors, open composition, emphasis on light in its changing qualities (often accentuating the effects of the passage of time), ordinary subject matter, and unusual visual angles ... Impressionism also describes art created in this style, but outside of the late 19th century time period ... the influence of the Impressionists is thought to have spread beyond the art world, leading to Impressionist music and Impressionist literature ... Monet, Sisley, Morisot, and Pissarro may be considered the "purest" Impressionists, in their consistent pursuit of an art of spontaneity, sunlight, and color. Degas rejected much of this, as he believed in the primacy of drawing over color and belittled the practice of painting outdoors ... The term "Impressionists" quickly gained favor with the public. It was also accepted by the artists themselves, even though they were a diverse group in style and temperament, unified primarily by their spirit of independence and rebellion.

SPECIAL FEATURES:
BIOS:
1. Julian Glover
Date of birth: 27 March 1935 - London, England, UK
Date of death: Still Living

Special footnote, Julian Glover trained as a classical stage actor at the National Youth Theatre,
performed with the Royal Shakespeare Company and became a familiar face to British television
viewers by appearing in many popular series during the 1960s and 1970s ... Glover is the only actor
to appear in films for the "Star Wars", "Indiana Jones", and James Bond series ("The Empire Strikes Back,"
"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade," and "For Your Eyes Only"). All three times, he played a villain.
He was awarded the Laurence Olivier Theatre Award in 1993 (1992 season) for Best Actor in a Supporting
Role for Henry V at the Royal Shakespeare Company.

DVD EXTRAS:
1. Claude Monet documentary "Painter of Light" (55 mins)

Great job by Koch Vision for releasing "The Impressionists (2006) - Julian Glove, the digital transfere with a clean, clear and crisp print...looking forward to more high quality releases from the BBC mini-series film market...order your copy now from Amazon or Koch Vision where there are plenty of copies available on DVD, stay tuned once again for top notch drama mixed with an outstanding cast and director --- genius is seeing the world in a different light.

Total Time: 177 mins on DVD ~ Koch Vision KOCV6428 ~ (12/05/2006)

"The Impressionists" has given me an easy to absorb light history of the impressionists. They, or most of them, devleoped their art form(s) while developing their friendships together. Their stories are told here, and some of their art is shown, letting one get a good look at it. The DVD makes a nice compact art history lesson. I learned quite a bit about the impressionists and the "time" of their art development from the DVD.

My husband and I are both painters and absolutely loved this. Artist Barry Raybould recommended it to all of his students. Even for non-artists, it is just a great story! Enjoy.