Camille Claudel (1988)
Directed by Bruno Nuytten

Film Review

Distinguished cinematographer Bruno Nuytten directed this epic biographical drama of the life of Camille Claudel, France's most famous female sculptor and a disciple of the great Rodin. It is a languorous, intense work which many spectators will find slow-moving and stifling - in spite of some pretty respectable (but not great) performances from Isabelle Adjani and Gérard Depardieu. Nuytten's strength is his ability to use the camera to create mood, and this he does masterfully, although he doesn't quite manage to compensate for the lack of realism in Adjani's somewhat theatrical portrayal of Claudel. Possibly a flawed masterpiece.

Film Synopsis

In the early 1880s, Camille Claudel settles in Paris with her family, and with the support of her mother and brother Paul she is able to devote herself to her art with the hope of becoming a great sculptor.  She is twenty years old when she makes the acquaintance of Auguste Rodin, a sculptor who has already made a name for himself.   Seeing Camille's potential, and greatly impressed by the young woman's enthusiasm for her art, Rodin immediately takes her under his wing, along with her English friend Jessie.  The apprenticeship proves to be advantageous not only for Claudel, who has much to learn from the more experienced artist; it also gives Rodin a boost, revitalising his flagging inspiration.

In a very short time, Camille goes from being her master's devoted pupil to becoming his muse and lover, but their collaboration becomes increasingly stormy as the temperamental young woman struggles to assert her own artistic identity.  In the end, she can no longer bear to live with Rodin and she feels impelled to leave him, but by this stage signs of mental illness are already apparent.  Increasingly prone to fits of paranoia and delusion, embittered by professional rivalry, Camille Claudel rails against the increasingly successful Rodin as she tries to prove herself his equal.  In view of the social prejudices of her time, it is a fight she can never win.  By 1913, Claudel's mental state has deteriorated to the point that there is no alternative but for her to be admitted to a psychiatric hospital...