Customer Reviews

Modigliani ( Colori dell'anima I - Modigliani ) ( Modigliani - Ein Leben in Leidenschaft ) [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.2 Import - Netherlands ]

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

"Modigliani," a 2004 offering starring Andy Garcia, is one of those historical/biographical films that so invests the viewer with a sympathy for and interest in the central character, that it is a sad disappointment to learn that most of what one sees on the screen is untrue.

True, a disclaimer in the beginning warns the viewer that this is a work of fiction, but as with so many Oliver Stone "docudramas," there are no clear indications where history ends and fiction begins. In real life, Amedeo Modigliani was a painter and a sculptor. He bounced between France and his native Italy as his ever deteriorating health dictated, the deterioration caused by a life long tubercular condition, fueled by booze, drugs and (if the film is to be believed) chain smoking. He had a very public affair with a well known bisexual writer, but later became smitten with a local Parisian girl, with whom he took up and lived out the remainder of his short life. Yes, Modigliani struggled for most of his life. Yes, he lived in the same post-WW I Paris as did Picaso. Yes, he died young, at 35. And yes, Jeanne, the love of his life, did take her own life, and that of their unborn second child, upon his death. But the Modigliani we meet in the film is not this man.

Perhaps the reason for this was screenwriter Mick Davis' need to collapse an entire life into a film lasting only 127 minutes. Perhaps Mr. Davis just used the historical highpoints as the inner structure for the story he wanted to tell. Or perhaps he just could not resist the familiar and by now trite tale of the doomed artist achieving his greatest triumph just as his wretched excesses finally overtake him.

The resulting film, in spite of the title character being masterfully played by Andy Garcia, is predictable even to those who have never heard of Modigliani or ever seen his work. Certain central characters -Jeanne's virulently anti-Semitic father, is a prime illustration- and the parts they play in the film could have easily been excluded in favor of greater exploration of the historical Modigliani. His development as an artist, by way of example, is completely ignored. The viewer, therefore, is never quite sure whether the sympathy the film builds for the title character is warranted or not. Until the end, the film begs the question of whether Modigliani was any good as an artist...or not.

These things said, the film does have much to recommend it. Beyond Garcia's performance, the decadent excess of post-WW I Europe has not been so well captured since "Cabaret." The score is both bold and enticing. The fevered scenes leading up to the film's final moments truly capture the creative frenzy that great artists experience as genius takes over from rote. And the film does succeed in making the viewer believe that he or she is actually seeing this pivotal point in Western art very much as it must have been.

Still, it is saddening to realize when the film ends and the lights come on that what one has viewed was more Hollywood than history. When Disney's "Pocahontas" was screened for a huge outdoor crowd in New York's Central Park, one reviewer wrote that she had to point out to a friend who was totally taken with the film, that the Disney version of the story was glaringly historically inaccurate. Faced with the fact that actually history was much different than what the film depicted, the friend made a choice. Referring to the film, she reportedly said, "Well, I like THIS version better." So it may be with Modigliani. It may not be accurate, but viewers may like the film much more than they would the actual facts of the man's life.

If you are tired of car chases, explosions, gun fights, karate kicks, helicopter stunts or too many special effects then do your brain a favor and go see a movie that actually requires acting skills. Modigliani is a nice break from the overdone Hollywood movies that either copy themselves or try and remake movies from 20 years ago. Don't be as closed minded as the critics, it just ruins the movie experience. Andy Garcia does an outstanding job playing the part of Modigliani and really throws himself and his years of experience into this role and brings his character to life. Elsa Zylberstein who plays the love is Modigliani's life, Jeanne, does equally as well in telling her characters story. Why the critics don't seem to like this movie is a mystery to me but don't let them get to you, this movie truly is a work of art.

Those involved in the making of the film `Modigliani' should be exceedingly proud of this amazingly beautiful and poignant tribute to Modigliani the artist, for truly art and biography have never been so magically blended as accomplished here. I was spellbound from the opening scene of Jeanne Hebuterne's (Elsa Zylberstein) enchanting face staring into the camera to the ending with Amedeo Modigliani (Andy Garcia) dancing around the statue of Balzac on a snowy winters night. Like a poem, it ends and you are left filled with emotion and lost in profundity. `Modigliani' is truly a masterpiece in every sense of the word.

This is a film that belongs in any serious DVD collection. Purchase the CD too, the music is magnificent. My Highest Recommendation!

A contemporary and antagonist of his contemporary Pablo Picasso, Amadeo Modigliani (1884-1920), an Italian Jew, makes his mark in pre-world war Paris, an avant garde painter caught up in the heady bohemian atmosphere of a turn-of-the-century city. Barely able to scrape a living together, Modigliani is a tortured soul with infinite curiosity, painting the visions in his head, certainly as groundbreaking as those of the larger-than-life Picasso. While Picasso is the darling of Paris, Amadeo's days are lived in the shadows, a man given to the excesses of drink and drugs to ease the pain of his existence. When he meets his muse in Jeanne Hebuterne (Elsa Zilberstein), the work flows from his brush, a distinctive style that rivals that of his nemesis, Picasso. Indeed, the two painters are much alike in their assurance, although Picasso is much more pragmatic, a crowd-pleaser who disdains poverty in pursuit of art.

Unfortunately, Modigliani's life is too short, his brokenhearted muse inconsolable, left with a daughter and another baby on the way, disowned by her rigid Catholic father. The loss of her lover is indeed tragic; as she says to Picasso after Amadeo's death, "At the end of your life, you will say his name, Modigliani" (In fact, it is said that this is the last word Picasso uttered). French society only belatedly applauds the talent of this iconoclastic artist, a shabby painter who dances in the snowy streets of Paris to music only he can hear, shadowed by the boy he once was. Played out in vignettes of childhood memory, the agonies of failure and the natural rebelliousness of a man who cannot fit into society's expectations, Modigliani spirals through the years carelessly, driven only to paint, to dream, to seek oblivion, to paint again.

What I find particularly striking about this film, despite the many criticisms, is Garcia's ability to capture the essence of the creative spirit, unfettered by society's dictates, in fact, unable to perform responsibly. When he fails to meet the standards of a family man, or even to make a viable living, Modigliani escapes into a haze of narcotics and alcohol, the need to disappear married to his artistic genius. What appears pitiful, a man squandering his talent, is familiar to such a man, his inner visions demanding to be brought to life. It is not surprising that Modigliani hurls towards death, helpless in the face of his own self-destruction. It is in his nature, torment built into his psyche, creative demons unleashed.

In sharp contrast, the sensitive love story between Amadeo and Jeanne Hebuterne reveals the depth of his compassion and curiosity, the gleam in the actor's eyes speaking to the profound absurdities of his life. As Modigliani informs Jeanne, "When I know your soul, I will paint your eyes." Indeed, it is her eyes that haunt in his final portrait of his muse, a woman who turns away from child and family to be with the man who has so deftly captured her soul. It is often difficult to comprehend the creative impulse that leaves artists on the edge of decency and acceptability, ever pushing boundaries in a quest to feel the breath of God. It is this arrogant, yet heartbreaking quest that Garcia portrays so brilliantly, his appreciation of Modigliani's spirit that lifts the performance- and that of the talented Elsa Zilberstein- above the script and director's deficiencies, riding on the musical score and stunning cinematography to remind us of the price of genius. Luan Gaines/ 2007.

MODIGLIANI is a difficult movie to review. It has some very strong features such as the cinematography that captures the artsy feeling of Paris 1919 and, despite excesses, manages to create some visuals of hallucinations and the wild madness of painters painting canvasses; a rather complex peak into the lives of several of the more revolutionary artists of the time; and a substantial feeling for the interchange between artist and model. The main problem with the film is a script that is banal, limited in historical validity, and concentrating on a single rather silly motif of a painters' competition.

Amedeo Modigliani (1884 - 1920) was a Sephardic Jew from Italy who moved to the mecca of Paris to create his brilliant portraits and sculptures of nudes and extended neck women and girls. His genius lay in his unifying the spiritual Eastern iconography (tribal art and Judaism) of his heritage with the Christian (read Catholic) traditions of the artists with whom he associated which resulted in his creations of the female nude from a feminist cultural perspective. What this film delivers is a rather annoying portrait of a young consumptive artist who drank and drugged himself to death at a moment in his career when renown was just beginning. The reasons for his place in art history are merely hinted all for the sake of the Hollywood biopic.

Andy Garcia plays Modigliani with a modicum of élan and a plethora of bad traits. The lovely model Jeanne Hébuterne (Elsa Zylberstein) who was the subject not only of his portraits but the mother of his illegitimate child and his live-in paramour is a bit long in the tooth on suffering, though despite the fact that Zylberstien is hampered by both a weak script and limited acting, she does have an uncanny resemblance to Jeanne. The artists with whom 'Modi' works include a strangely miscast Picasso (Omid Djalili), Chaim Soutine (Stevan Rimkus), Maurice Utrillo (Hippolyte Girardot), Diego Rivera (Dan Astileanu), Zborowski (Louis Hilyer), and the strangely non-effeminate Jean Cocteau (Peter Capaldi)! Dealer Max Jacob (Udo Kier) and Gertrude Stein (Miriam Margolyes!) are thrown in with the harlequins and 'Modi's' child spirit Dedo (Frederico Ambrosino) for atmosphere. The storyline is one that could have easily been told in the requisite time frame but MODIGLIANI taxes the viewers' attention for over two hours.

So aside from a visually exciting experience there is really very little to be learned from this liquor and opium soaked consumptive noisy melodrama that could have been about any one of the artists involved in the story. The genius of Modigliani is barely tapped. Grady Harp, October 05

"Modigliani" is a very special and beautiful film about a love story in the 1920s' Paris, and one of history's greatest painters. Garcia is masterful, and Elsa Zylberstein is wonderful as his devoted "wife" and lover, Jeanne Hebuterne.

What a lovely yet ultimately sad and tragic story. Richly filmed in Romania; written and directed by Mick Davis. It is entrancing to hear Edith Piaf sing "La Vie En Rose" once again, as part of a film that is beautifully done, to say the least.

It is a UK/German/Romanian/French/Italian co-production, not the usual trash that Hollywood produces.

What a beautiful film. Modigliani captures the excitement that the art community held during the era of Picasso and Modigliani. I did not know about the bitter rivalry between Picasso and Modigliani when I saw this. Andy Garica gives another one of his stellar performances. Along with the great cinematography, the music in the film is just wonderful.

This biography film is one that shouldnt be missed. It will leave you with so many emotions because of the great story and the wonderful characters.

I'd give this movie an award for the best imperfect movie I've ever seen or the most impressive movie that has grown on me as I watched it or the movie with the most clichéd ridiculous first hour that gradually picked up its momentum and become a film of rare beauty and incredible power. As the title suggests, this is a film about time and life of one of the most charismatic Artists of the last century, Amedeo Modigliani (1884 - 1920). Last April, I visited a wonderful exhibit of his works in The Phillips Collection at Washington DC that hosted nearly 100 of his paintings, sculptures, and drawings on loan from U.S. and international collections. Modigliani's style is so unique and striking distinguished by strong linear rhythms and simple elongated forms that it takes only seeing couple of his stunning, sensual and aesthetical portraits to never forget him. His name, "Amedeo", has such a beautiful and sad meaning, knowing the story of his short life. "Amedeo" means beloved by God, and he sure was, talented, charming, and charismatic. But as the saying goes, the ones whom the Gods love die young. Modigliani health was very poor, and his life style did not help it. He died from tuberculosis and meningitis when he was 35. His lover, his muse, and the mother of his daughter, 21 year old Jeanne Heubeten who was pregnant with their second child by the time of Amedeo's death, did not want and could not survive him. On the day following Modigliani's death, she threw herself from the window on the fifth floor and killed herself...You may say, "How melodramatic" but life sometimes is more dramatic than any work of art or literature.

The casting of 49 year old Andy Garcia as 35 year old Modigliani seems a little strange but Garcia did his best working with the material. There was a moment in the movie when he addresses someone, "What is the matter with you?" with such obvious Brooklyn accent that I felt like watching "Godfather, part 4 ½". Actually, most of the dialogs in the first hour or so were rather unintentionally funny. It seemed to me that the director tried different approaches to his film. Modigliani came from Italy - we see many times the parade of clowns on the streets of his native Livorno as the recurring image that could've came from Fellini's films. Then, film looked in Baz Luhrmann's "Moulin-Rouge" direction with the songs and music from different epochs (and I said to myself, please, no). Davis also compares Modigliani's life with that of another Amadeus, struggling genius - child from 18th century Vienna -the film brought a Mozart / Salieri theme with a successful and rich fellow painter who comparing to Salieri happened to be a very talented Artist himself - Pablo Picasso. So, for the first hour, the film struggled (almost as much as its protagonist) but then, something happened. The film's creator realized that the Artists are interesting not only because of their personal problems, weaknesses, struggles, preferences but first and foremost because of their talents, of their abilities to create, to look at the world like no one before them did, to capture their impressions in the forms and images that even after they are long gone make our hearts beat faster, make us say, "This is beauty, this is poetry, this is perfection". The scenes of incredible power just come one after another, the scenes with few or no words spoken at all. Among them, Picasso's and Modigliani's visit to one of the titans of 19 century, August Renoir in his country mansion. Renoir was shown as the old, wheel chair bound man who had to be spoon -fed by his nurse but who obviously had sharp mind and more wisdom than both Picasso and Modigliani together. Later, there was a long scene showing young painters - Chaim Soutine, Maurice Utrillo, Diego Rivera, Pablo Picasso, and Amedeo Modigliani working on their paintings for the Grand Prix de Peinture, the yearly art competition at the famed Salon des Artistes. Close to the movie's end comes my favorite scene - the opening of the Salon with the presentation of each painting - there is no rivalry, no competition any more - each work of art shines and every artist is happy to admit the talent and uniqueness of his fellow competitor.

So, what do I think of "Modigliani", the movie directed by Mick Davis? I enjoyed it and I would recommend it to others. Andy Garcia, who is not my favorite actor, won me over with his performance in spite of the problems (many) with the script. I've been always interested in the period of post War World 1 Art history when everybody who was anybody tried to be in Paris, the Art Mecca for many generations of Artists and the film's depiction of the Modigliani's contemporaries was interesting and made me want to research more about them. I'd like to see more movies with the actress Elsa Zylberstein who played Jeanne - her melancholic beauty, grace and talent are undeniable and helped to make the movie based on the Artist's life compelling, convincing, and remarkable.

P.S. According to Pablo Picasso's personal physician, the Artist who had survived Modigliani by more than 50 years, whispered his name on his deathbed.

3.5/5 or 7/10

Amadeo Modigliani (1884-1920) was one of the true artists of "The Lost Generation",that particular group of Bohemian writers,painters,sculptors and "artistes" in general, who flocked to Paris after WW1 in particular to live out their tragedies and triumphs with affairs,drinking and drugs in what was to become known as "La Vie Boheme".There, their art flourished and their lives were cut tragically short by the excess and nonchalant attitudes towards life...life that was to be lived to its fullest.

Unfortunately, Mick Davis' tragically unfocused screenplay and lack of directive skills, blinded by his own sincere passion on his subject,cause his film MODIGLIANI to wander aimlessly, introducing many subjects and persons, but never squarely focusing on or fully developing any of them.There is no doubt that Andy Garcia (Modigliani) and Elsa Zylberstein(his lover Jeanne) have done as good a job as possible in their roles.Each summons up moments of passion and tragedy as some of their story is told.However, at the commencement of the film, there is a disclaimer that the majority of what we are about to see is totally fictitious and that is where MODIGLIANI falters.Davis invents a rivalry between Modigliani and Pablo Picasso (a well acted part by Omid Djalili) and the rest of the Bohemian artists.If the film had perhaps put it's attention there it might have been more successful; but this piece of fiction serves to only confuse the love story of Amadeo and Jeanne.There is also the subplot of Jeanne's parental disapproval of her relationship with Modigliani that is thrown in to further muddy the waters along with the Catholic/Jewish problem of the two lovers.Add in numerous flashbacks and the young ghost of the child Modigliani and before you can say VOILA, you are thoroughly confused and frustrated.

Unfortunately,Davis' film never arrives to any sense of greatness about the artist nor any semblance of the real Bohemian life style.Oh, it's all there, but that is where the problem lies.There is too much crammed in, and not enough for you on which to hang your hat.

The supporting performance of Miriam Margolyes (LADIES IN LAVENDER, AGE OF INNOCENCE) as Gertrude Stein is as always genius work from this woman who deserves larger roles.

The film runs a sprawling 127 minutes.The DVD featurette is 5 minutes with little to no information contained that gives any resonance to this film. There are no English subtitles for this DVD which would aid greatly with the myriad of bad accents.Rent....don't buy!

Andy García played Spanish poet Federico García Lorca so well; I had high hopes for his portrayal of Amadeo Modigliani. These hopes were only partly realized.

This movie needed tighter direction and García deserved a better supporting cast. Jeanne Hebutern was visually arresting and well acted. The rest of the cast were only so-so. I have seen the film once now and once was enough.