ARTEMISIA
A Film Review by James Berardinelli
RATING: *** OUT OF ****
France, 1997 U.S. Release Date: 5/15/98 (limited) Running Length: 1:42 MPAA Classification: R (Graphic sexuality, frontal nudity, violence) Theatrical Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Cast: Valentina Cervi, Michel Serrault, Miki Manojlovic Director: Agnes Merlet Producer: Patrice Haddad Screenplay: Agnes Merlet, Christine Mille Cinematography: Benoit Delhomme Music: Krishna Levy U.S. Distributor: Miramax Zoe In French with subtitles
For its first two-thirds, Agnes Merlet's ARTEMISIA is a fine examination of the process of creating art and the inextricable (if sometimes tenuous) link that binds it to sexuality. However, while the movie's final half-hour is adequate as a melodrama, its conformance to certain expectations of the "historical romance" genre robs it of the vitality that characterizes the early portions of the film. As a result, although ARTEMISIA is an engaging and occasionally fascinating motion picture, it is not a landmark cinematic biography.
Born on July 8, 1593 in Rome, during and era when many professions were forbidden to women, Artemisia Gentileschi was one of the first female painters to make a living as an artist. In the immediate centuries following her death, her work was largely-forgotten, only to be re-discovered in the last forty years. Her best-known painting, "Judith Beheading Holophernes," was completed in 1612, and has often been cited as one of the most passionate and proficient works of art crafted by a woman during the seventeenth century. Today, Artemisia's surviving canvasses are recognized throughout the West, and several of them reside in the Louvre.
Merlet's speculative treatment of a chapter in Artemisia's life (many of the actual details from the period are unknown, so the film maker is able to fashion her own interpretation of the historical record) begins in 1610, the year when her artistic urges become too powerful to suppress, and ends in 1612, after a rape trial separates her from her mentor and lover, Agostino Tassi. Tassi, an artist working with Artemisia's father, Orazio, in painting a series of religious frescos, agreed to teach Artemisia after the girl's request for admission to the males-only Academy of Fine Arts was rejected. Their relationship, which improved Artemisia's understanding of the technical aspects of painting, eventually turned sexual, and led to Tassi's arrest on rape charges.
Italian-born Valentina Cervi (PORTRAIT OF A LADY) plays the lead character with the right mix of innocence and sensuality. As essayed in this film, Artemisia is a brilliant, headstrong, passionate woman whose tribulations made her a better artist. Cervi's portrayal is stunning, giving us another young international actress who is as talented as she is beautiful. Appearing opposite Cervi is Miki Manojlovic, whose interpretation of Tassi is that of an older man hopelessly enraptured by a woman who should remain forbidden to him. Rounding out the main cast is veteran French actor Michel Serrault (LA CAGE AUX FOLLES, NELLY & M. ARNAUD), who brings an air of quiet dignity to his performance as Orazio.
It's debatable how accurate Merlet's treatment of Artemisia's affair with Tassi is (the surviving court records of the rape trial indicate that it was a somewhat less romantic liaison than is presented here), but it makes for a compelling story. Especially noteworthy are the scenes in which Tassi instructs Artemisia about the techniques of art, reigning in her natural passion and allowing her to harness a burgeoning talent. Tassi is presented as a volatile man who loves his student as much as his craft. Artemisia's fascination with sex and the naked male body leads to an ever-present subtext about the relationship between eroticism and art -- a subject that has fascinated scholars and laymen alike throughout history. In the context of this film, it not only impels the narrative, but captures and holds the viewer's attention. With ARTEMISIA, Merlet paints a beautiful and intriguing, if somewhat incomplete, picture.
Copyright 1998 James Berardinelli
- James Berardinelli e-mail: berardin@mail.cybernex.net
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