This short film, commissioned by the Musee d'Orsay to celebrate the artist Cezanne, is a complex piece that combines disparate elements to create less of a 'portrait', more of an personal essay. Straub and Huillet drew inspiration from Joachim Gasquet's book on Cezanne, and utilise letters exchanged between the two as much of the film's narration. The film also incorporates significant sections of Jean Renoir's 1934 film 'Madam Bovary' and includes a segment in Straub and Huillet's often used 'epic theatre' approach, with an actor reciting text in a emotionless tone within a still frame. Otherwise, the images on screen are largely stills of nature or paintings, with the narration providing Cezanne's musings.
There is much for an audience to take away from this film (and it's similar companion piece, 'Une visite au Louvre') but it is far from a conventional documentary, perhaps not a documentary at all. Those familiar with Straub and Huillet's work will be at home here, but others may be puzzled by the idiosyncratic approach. Challenging, but worth seeing.
There is much for an audience to take away from this film (and it's similar companion piece, 'Une visite au Louvre') but it is far from a conventional documentary, perhaps not a documentary at all. Those familiar with Straub and Huillet's work will be at home here, but others may be puzzled by the idiosyncratic approach. Challenging, but worth seeing.
