Total Eclipse (film)
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- For other works by this name, see Total Eclipse.
Total Eclipse is a 1995 movie directed by Agnieszka Holland that depicts a fictionalized account of the intense but also abusive homosexual relationship between the two 19th century French poets, Paul Verlaine (David Thewlis) and Arthur Rimbaud (Leonardo DiCaprio), a time when both of them experienced a height of creativity.
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Story
The film starts out with Paul Verlaine meeting Rimbaud's sister in a French cafe. Rimbaud's sister and mother want Verlaine to hand over any copies he has of Rimbaud writings so that they can burn his lewd writings. The film is thus told in an extended flashback as Verlaine reflects on the wild and abusive relationship he had with Rimbaud. The sister then speaks of her brother's final years.
When Verlaine reads some poetry by the teenage Rimbaud, he is instantly taken with him and invites him to his upper middle class father-in-law's home. There, Rimbaud displays no sense of manners or decency whatsoever, but Verlaine remains attracted to Rimbaud's physical body and the possibility to work with such a talented poet, whose decadent writing allows him to escape nineteenth century middle class respectibility. Verlaine agrees to financially support Rimbaud, and Rimbaud in turn agrees to be his lover and teacher. The two men spend the evenings hanging out at middle class poet gatherings, drinking, and then returning to a small apartment to write, smoke pot and make love.
Rimbaud acts cruely to Verlaine, as does Verlaine to his pregnant wife. The years of cruel pratical jokes, partying, traveling across Europe, writing poetry, and Verlaine switching from Rimbaud's bed to his wife's bed and then back again eventually comes to and end. Finally unable to withstand the emotional abuse, Verlaine leaves Rimbaud in London and returns to middle class respectability and his wife. However, Verlain still loves Rimbaud and a final meeting between the two men in Brussels ends in violence when a upset and drunken Verlaine shoots Rimbaud in the wrist and is sentenced to prison (the film is not clear if he is sentenced for prison for homosexuality or the attempted murder).
In prison Verlaine converts to Christanity and upon release meets Rimbaud in the Black Forest and seeks to rekindle the romance, but is unable to persuade Rimbaud that they can live happily every after together in America. The two men depart, never to see each other again. However, the film does not end there.
While Verlaine was in prison, Rimbaud goes off on his own to travel the world, including being the first white man to visit Abyssinia (modern day Ethiopia) to run a trading post (that the film neglects to mention involved selling guns and possibly human slaves) where he writes (there is some dispute if he was still writing at the time) and has sex with an African woman until a tumor in his leg forces him to be taken back to France where his leg has to be amutated. However, the cancer spreads and thus he spends his days on his sister's and mother's farm. He dies on November 10th, 1891.
After the flashbacks are finished, the film returns to the cafe (the film ignores what Verlaine had been doing with his life from 1873 - 1896) Rimbaud's sister asserts that her brother accepted Jesus as his personal savior right before before he died and thus would want his sister and mother to publish a censored version of his writings and divorce his legacy from the decadent movement. Yet, Verlaine (who is dying of a tumor) feels that Rimbaud would have wanted all his writings published and secretly decides to do so in order to inspire future generations, and out of devotion to his one true love: Rimbaud. While drinking absinthe Verlaine has a hallucination that Rimbaud has returned from the dead to express his love and respect for him.
Criticism
Director Holland has built a reputation of making films that are really good or bad. In this case, most critics felt that the latter was the case. The most common criticism was the the film never explained the importance of these two great poets' works, especially their role in the development of the decadence or symbolism movement. The film did little for character development aside from showing the two famous French poets acting as if they were modern American college students on spring break.
Critics also felt that the film the created a limited sense that of what life was like in late nineteenth century Europe. It ignores important parts of the two poets' history, before and after they met, and thus makes it even harder to understand why a film about their lives was made. Thus if you are not familiar with late nineteenth century French history, you are not going to understand or appreciate what is happening in the film.
Critics did generally feel that the acting, musical score and cinematography were all well done, although some felt that DiCaprio played the character too closely to his role in the film Basketball Diaries. Gay film critics noted how the film allowed the two poets to come out of the closet and made a point to dealt with the gay and straight love scenes as if they were morally equal.
MPAA
The Motion Picture Association of America gave the film an R rating for profanity, nudity, violence, drug usage, and simulated heterosexual and homosexual sex scenes.
Cast
- Leonardo DiCaprio - Arthur Rimbaud
- David Thewlis - Paul Verlaine
- Romane Bohringer - Mathilde Maute
- Dominique Blanc - Isabelle Rimbaud
- Felicie Pasotti Cabarbaye - Isabelle, as a child
- Nita Klein - Rimbaud's Mother
- James Thiérrée - Frederic
- Emmanuelle Oppo - Vitalie
- Denise Chalem - Mrs. Maute De Fleurville
- Andrzej Seweryn - Mr. Maute De Fleurville
- Christopher Thompson - Carjat
- Bruce Van Barthold - Aicard
- Christopher Chaplin - Charles Cros
- Christopher Hampton - The Judge
- Mathias Jung - Andre
DVD
In 1999 a DVD edition of the film was released. It does not have any of the special features that people have come to expect from a DVD such as deleted scenes, cast or director audio commentaries.