VHS : Surviving Picasso [1997]

Rating: - Very one-dimentional indeed
I found this a highly dissapointing film in that it seemes to focus almost entirely on the misogynistic side of Picasso`s personality, and his selfish insensitivity towards others. While these aspects of Picasso no doubt existed, the film fails to portray a rounded depiction of the man or what drove him. This very one-dimentional and oblique angled view is no doubt due to the fact that the film is based on the memoires of his disillusioned wife, and I am reminded of the book written by Deborah Curtis about her husband the singer Ian Curtis, in which she whines on about the domestic reality of their relationship but offers virtually no insight into his art - which was surely the most interesting thing about him. The problem is that the relationships which these women have with their husbands is based on love and its commitments, and has nothing to do with their art or creativity. To make a film about an artist which ignores the inner imagination and creative aspect of that person is pointless and uninteresting. Anthony Hopkins offers a fairly convincing performance, but this just isn`t enough.

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Rating: - Mad about art. Not mad about art. Either way you'll love it!
Fascinating! The art, the place, the era, the people, the originality - i loved it all! Perfect whether or not you like Picasso's work, his life and affairs are nothing short of intriguing. This film is definitely the most influential that I have ever seen. What can I say? Pretty damn good!