ARTEMISIA A film review by Steve Rhodes Copyright 1998 Steve Rhodes
RATING (0 TO ****): **
ARTEMISIA, the purportedly true story of Artemisia Gentileschi, a seventeenth century Roman artist who was the first female member of the Academy in Florence, suffers from the same confusion of purpose that a similar film, DANGEROUS BEAUTY, did earlier this year. DANGEROUS BEAUTY, which featured a high paid poet-prostitute from the same period and area, tried to emphasize its credentials as a statement about female
independence in a male dominated world, but spent most of time in various sexual encounters.
So it is with ARTEMISIA, which starts off well by considering the hardships of becoming a respected artist, especially a female one, in 1670. The film immerses us in the minutia of painting from the preparation of the paints to the setting of the scenery scaffolding to the art of choosing just the right naked body to paint. (Nope, that one's too skinny. Breasts are too large on that one. His rear's all wrong.)
When we first meet Artemisia, she is taking off her clothes. With a handheld mirror she examines and sketches every part of the female anatomy. One of the biggest barriers to Artemisia's success in the art world, however, was that women were not permitted by the Pope to paint nude males. You can probably guess that she will entice a friend to take his clothes off and that there will eventually be a big trial where
the charge of painting the male genitalia is brought against our heroine. DANGEROUS BEAUTY followed a similarly predictable path.
Valentina Cervi plays Artemisia with an earnest and unvarying composure. Her father Orazio, played by Michel Serrault from NELLY & MONSIEUR ARNAUD, does not approve of the nightly debauchery of his fellow artists. He complains that their life consists of "painting saints by day and sinning by night." Artemisia loves to peer in the open window at night to watch dozens of naked men and women groping each
other. (There's an artist on hand to record their proclivities.)
Orazio, a painter of some considerable repute himself, introduces his daughter to Agostino Tassi (Miki Manojlovic) to learn more about painting. The virginal Artemisia and Agostino soon become lovers, much to the father's dismay. Neither member of this love affair demonstrates
any genuine passion. Both of the actors give a rather distant and ethereal reading of their parts, artistic and sexual.
The movie spends most of the time drifting along aimlessly. Director Agnes Merlet sets a languid pace that would be in danger of putting the audience to sleep were it not for the frequent nudity and sex. But even with the full-frontal male and female nudity, the sex is as cold as a picture from some cheesy soft porn magazine so some may still find themselves nodding off.
Although the painting aspect is undeniably interesting, the story wastes most of its time with sexual titillation. Why can't we have a film about a woman from that era who prospers without the need for constant disrobing?
ARTEMISIA runs 1:38. The movie is in French with English subtitles. It is not rated but would probably be an R for complete nudity, sex, profanity, and brief violence and would be acceptable for older and mature teenagers.
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