Basic Info
Title:
Surviving Picasso
Genre:
Drama
Country:
United States
Language:
English
Running
time: 125 minutes
Release
date: September 20, 1996
Staff
Director:
James Ivory
Produced by: Ismail Merchant, David L. Wolper
Screenplay: Ruth Prawer Jhabvala
Cinematography:
Tony Pierce-Roberts
Music:
Richard Robbins
Editor:
Andrew Marcus
Cast
Anthony Hopkins as Pablo Picasso
Natascha McElhone as Françoise
Gilot
Julianne Moore as Dora Maar
Joss Ackland as Henri Matisse
Peter Eyre as Sabartes
Susannah Harker as Marie-Thérèse
Walter
Jane Lapotaire as Olga Khokhlova
Joseph Maher as Daniel-Henry Kahnweiler
Diane Venora as Jacqueline Roque
Dominic West as Paulo Picasso
Laura Aikman as Maya
Widmaier-Picasso
Nigel Whitmey as Pierre
Summary
"Surviving Picasso" is a
1996 film directed by James Ivory and starring Anthony Hopkins as the famous
painter Pablo Picasso. The screenplay for this film was loosely based on the
biography “Picasso: Creator and Destroyer” by Arianna Stassinopoulos Huffington.
 |
| Picasso Creator and Destroyer, Arianna Huffington |
Plot
The young Françoise meets Picasso
in Nazi-occupied Paris, where Picasso is complaining that people broke into his
house and stole his linen, not his paintings. Françoise is beaten after telling
his father that she wants to become a painter rather than a lawyer. Picasso
often doesn't care about other people's feelings, fires his driver who has
served him for a long time, and says he can sleep with any women he wants.
 |
| Françoise Gilot |
This film is seen through the eyes
of his lover Françoise Gilot. The film focused more on Picasso’s personal life
rather than his works because the producers did not get permission to use
Picasso's works, and even the paintings shown in the film are not very famous
works. Even in the scene where Picasso paints Guernica, the camera is positioned
high above the painting, with only slightly visible.
 |
| Guernica, Picasso (1937) |
The film also portrays some women
who were important in Picasso's life, such as Olga Khokhlova, Dora Maar,
Marie-Thérèse Walter, and Jacqueline Roque.
 |
| Dora Maar |
Movie
Review
“Expertly Crafted and
Worth Your Time!”
“Wonderfully performed
biographical piece”
“Very nice movie”
“A portrait”
“Surviving Picasso offers
fresh perspective on emotional freedom in art”
Interesting
stories about the film
1. A few years after
this film was released, Anthony Hopkins had already signed on to play Hannibal
Lecter in Hannibal (2001), but Jodie Foster had declined. When director Ridley
Scott asked Hopkins to recommend actresses for the role of Clarice, Hopkins
recommended Julianne Moore because he enjoyed working with Moore on this movie.
 |
| Hannibal (2001) |
2. Reproductions of
Picasso' art works in this film was not allowed to be used. However, the
estates of Henri Matisse and Georges Braque allowed their work to be
represented.
3. The film's
production company, Merchant Ivory Productions, faced strong objections from
Françoise Gilot and her son, Claude when making the film. Claude Picasso once
met with the Merchant Ivory team, but then strongly objected to the making of
this film, petitioning the studio to stop production.
4. Marlon Brando was
once interested in the role of Pablo Picasso, so he tried to lose weight with a
banana diet.
5. This film is one of four movies collaborated by Anthony Hopkins and Merchant Ivory Productions. The remaining three films are Howards End (1992), The Remains of the Day (1993), and The City of Your Final Destination (2009).
 |
| Howards End (1992) |
 |
| The Remains of the Day (1993) |
 |
| The City of Your Final Destination (2009) |
Thank you.
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