Colette
After marrying a successful Parisian writer known commonly as “Willy” (Dominic West), Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (Keira Knightley) is transplanted from her childhood home in rural France to the intellectual and artistic splendor of Paris. Soon after, Willy convinces Colette to ghostwrite for him. She pens a semi-autobiographical novel about a witty and brazen country girl named Claudine, sparking a bestseller and a cultural sensation. After its success, Colette and Willy become the talk of Paris and their adventures inspire additional Claudine novels. Colette's fight over creative ownership defies gender roles and drives her to overcome societal constraints, revolutionizing literature, fashion and sexual expression.
Director:
Wash Westmoreland
Cast:
Keira Knightley, Eleanor Tomlinson, Dominic West
Screenplay:
Richard Glatzer, Wash Westmoreland
Screening Date:
Sep 15, 2018
Studio:
Bleeker Street
Running Time:
1 hour 51 min.
| Excellent | Very Good | Good | Fair | Poor |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 45.4% | 26.0% | 21.7% | 4.3% | 0.0% |
“Beautifully filmed. Keira Knightly is wonderful as always.
Great job editing. Loved the country scenes. Especially loved
the music.”
“Visually beautiful. Timely story.”
“A little too long but very engaging story. Very similar story to
THE WIFE. I liked the casting; thought Keira Knightly really
stepped beyond her usually inspired roles. I loved the
costumes!”
“On paper the story of Colette marrying and out growing her husband (personally and creatively) is fascinating. But it was not well translated to the screen. Great score, beautiful cinematography with good acting. More of this can overcome the fundamental criticism. Slow dialogue, not profound. Long, slow shots do not help this movie to move.”
“I arrived at this movie already very familiar with Colette’s life. So there were few surprises for me. But what a beautiful lush production! And how those critical years were laid out, how efficiently we watch her grow and come into her own. A terrific viewing experience. I forgive any shortcomings. The whole was a pleasure.”
“Not my type of movie. The emancipation of women, very important story to be told.”
“A wonderful film.”
“Slow moving film that takes too long to get started.”
“A wonderful well-presented story that needs to be told. How many women did not get their due while the men in their lives received the accolades.”
“Another time, another society, yet familiar contemporary subject. Women asserting themselves in a male-dominated society. The sexist subject of many recent films!”
“Loved the music and the costumes.”
“What a fascinating life story. I loved every second of it. Keira knightly was so perfectly cast and wonderful in it!” Thanks John” Jeanne K
“Great to have the Colette photos in B/W at films credits.”
“What a gorgeous movie! Belle Epoch never looked so good.”
“Keira Knightly is following in the footsteps and screen roles of Judy Densch and Maggie Smith and other great Dames of British films. Her role here as Colette is tailor-made for her and she has rarely been better. Mark this one down for Academy, Golden Globe and other awards.”
Loved this film. As beautiful as a painting come to life. Love the music, perfectly suited to both the emotion of the scene and the time period in which the film takes place. This is great, smart soak-it-up filmmaking.”
“Thanks for the discussion and more info on Colette/Claudine, teaching that now and it will be very helpful, and you’re right, there is more than enough interesting events for the rest of her life to make a great sequel.”
"Great film, just gorgeous to watch. And yes, picked up on all the tributes to CITIZEN KANE: the snow globe, the celebration song by her husband, and especially Claudine's leaving, composed almost exactly like that in KANE."
If you'd like to know more about the film...
https://youtu.be/lsFWHGI33i8 Here is an interview with Keira Knightley and Dominic West talking about how they got their roles and thoughts on the story of Colette.
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/colette-star-keira-knightley-says... In this article, Keira Knightley talks about how she doesn't want to direct movies anymore because she wants to see other women directing, writing, producing, and pushing for representation.
https://variety.com/2018/scene/news/colette-director-wash-westmoreland-q... In this article, director Wash Westmoreland talks about how the queer people play a big part in this movie.
https://variety.com/video/keira-knightley-colette-sundance-women/ Here is an interview with Kiera Knightley, Wash Westmoreland, and Dominic West talking about the female role, sexuality, the way the cast worked with each other, etc.
https://www.heraldcourier.com/community/tips-for-achieving-colette-like-... Here is an article to help people who would like to achieve skill with writing like Colette along with steps to do so.
http://www.completefrance.com/language-culture/history/the-life-of-frenc... This talks about the life of Colette with picture of her home, the different books she's written, films created from her books, etc.
