The Impressionists
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DVD Cover Information Actor: Anthony Calf, Charlie Condou, Crispin Bonham-Carter, Richard Armitage, Sebastian Armesto Director: Tim Dunn Brand: Koch International Cinematographer: Christopher Titus King Producer: Tim Dunn Producer: Kim Thomas Producer: Mary Downes Producer: Peter Cotton Writer: Colin Swash Writer: Sarah Woods DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); Spanish (Published) Format: Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen Picture Format: 1.77:1 Running Time: 177 minutes DVD Release Date: 2006-12-05 Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Studio: Koch Vision Product features:
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Movie Reviews of The Impressionists
Movie Review: Last living Impressionist tells all . . .
Summary: 4 Stars
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.