Picasso and the Cinema

Picasso was inspired by the cinema (Charles Chaplin, etc.). The cubistic and the montage connections between Picasso and the cinema are of the essence. - Henri-Georges Clouzot's masterpiece Le Mystère Picasso is one of the handful of the very best films made on painting. The priceless document focuses on Picasso's process of painting: the process is primary, the result is secondary. - Orson Welles's F for Fake includes an affectionate homage to Picasso ("art is a lie that can expose the truth") and cubism. There is an ironic commentary on forgery. Elmyr de Hory created fake paintings in styles of Picasso, managing at first to fool Picasso, himself. Picasso's astonished comment: "I can forge Picasso, myself, as well as anybody". - James Ivory's Surviving Picasso (1996) is based on the story (though not the memoir book) of Francoise Gilot. Anthony Hopkins is great as Picasso, Natascha McElhone is Francoise Gilot, Julianne Moore is Dora Maar, and Joss Ackland is Matisse. Ivory was not allowed to use Picasso's work! The heirs usually deny the permission. The film displays Elmyr de Hory -style fake Picassos in an interesting way. The Guernica sequence is amazing, as we never see the painting. - But if I were to select one film to represent the Picasso inspiration, it would be Jean Cocteau's Le Testament d'Orphée.

L'Enfer d'Henri-Georges Clouzot

FR 1964-2009. (c) 2009 Lobster Films, France 2 Cinéma. D: Serge Bromberg, Ruxandra Medrea. Concept: Serge Bromberg, dai rushes di L’Enfer (1964) di Henri-Georges Clouzot; SC: Henri-Georges Clouzot, José-André Lacour, Jean Ferry; DP: Andréas Winding, Armand Thirard; S: William-Robert Sivel; CAST: Romy Schneider (Odette), Serge Reggiani (Marcel), Dany Carrel (Marylou), Jean-Claude Bercq (Martineau), Maurice Garrel (Dr. Arnoux), Mario David (Julien); crediti film 2009: Op.: Irina Lubtchansky, Jérôme Krumenacker; ED: Janice Jones; DP: Nicolas Faure; M: Bruno Alexiu; S: Jean Gargonne; CAST: Bérénice Bejo (Odette), Jacques Gamblin (Marcel); P: Serge Bromberg per Lobster Films/France 2 Cinéma/MK2; 35mm. [95’ announced], real duration 100 min. French version From: MK2 in collaborazione con Lobster Films. - English subtitles: Lenny Borger. - Presentano Gian Luca Farinelli, Serge Bromberg. Viewed at Cinema Arlecchino, Bologna, 4 July 2009. - Via digital intermediate. - A fascinating study of the unfinished big budget film by Henri-Georges Clouzot, on the morbid jealousy felt by Marcel (Serge Reggiani) to his wife Odette (Romy Schneider). Unseen for 45 years, the 15 hours of camera negative consist of bits and pieces presented by Serge Bromberg in an imaginative way. Romy Schneider is in top form. This is also interesting as kinetic art, in the same way as Clouzot's La Prisonnière. Memorable and effective new music by Bruno Alexiu.