Becoming Colette

BECOMING COLETTE
CANADA 1993

Like another film about writers and their times, IMPROMPTU, this is not a great story, or a great adventure, or even a great film. But it is a nice little tribute to a woman writer, who was an immediate influence to the likes of Anais Nin, and therefore a vital voice in the development of the art of writing.

While Colette's writing was more what we would consider 'erotic', than anything else, it still made its mark. Her most important story, that of GIGI, was turned into a film that still has won one of the largest acclaims in the Oscar Award history.

The story of Gabrielle Colette starts innocently enough with a rogue who takes on a dreamy country girl for a wife, only to discover that she is a fairly good writer, and has an inspiring style. His taste for women and other pleasurable delights pretty much runs him into the ground, while he attempts to gain as much as he can from his wife's prolific output. And since the writing she is coming up with is too erotic, it is published under his name for quite a while, until it is finally discovered who the real writer is. And during the time of her growth, she experiences many of the things which are the mark of many of her Claudine books. From sex, to drugs, and to many friends in the artistic community, it all pretty much shows the decadent life styles which pretty much control the lives of many artists during the time.

With a fine portrayal, by Mathilda May and Virginia Madsen as one of her lovers later, this film plods along rather nicely. It is only indulgent in the sensuality of the moments where an overdose of sex or drugs is concerned, which is where the writer Colette really excelled as a dreamy eyed participant. Klaus Maria Brandauer plays the man who gains her hand in marriage and benefits until his charm can no longer win her. But the film still seems to depict an era that developed many writers, Gabrielle Colette being one of them.

3 1/2 GIBLOONS

DIRECTOR:                   DANNY HUSTON
CINEMATOGRAPHY:   WOFGANG TREW
MUSIC:                          John Scott
CAST:                            Klaus Maria Brandauer, Mathilda May, Virginia Madsen, Paul Rhys, Jean Philippe Aumont.
SUPER FEATURES:       Nice story...