Martin Provost's life of the painter Séraphine de Senlis is a study in subtlety worthy of Flaubert, says Jason Solomons
A surprise winner of seven Césars – the French Oscars – including best film, Séraphine is a deceptively subtle tale based on the true story of the life and art of a simple maid discovered by a German art critic in the French town of Senlis on the eve of the First World War.
We first encounter Séraphine as she feels her way through a dark stream, fingering the weeds. Feet still wet, she hurries to church, where, beneath a stained glass rose window, she sings, devotedly though none too tunefully. The opening of Martin Provost's film contains little dialogue, but sets up his themes and his central character with graceful economy.
Returning from her cleaning job, Séraphine climbs a large tree, feeling the wind on her face. Another day,...
A surprise winner of seven Césars – the French Oscars – including best film, Séraphine is a deceptively subtle tale based on the true story of the life and art of a simple maid discovered by a German art critic in the French town of Senlis on the eve of the First World War.
We first encounter Séraphine as she feels her way through a dark stream, fingering the weeds. Feet still wet, she hurries to church, where, beneath a stained glass rose window, she sings, devotedly though none too tunefully. The opening of Martin Provost's film contains little dialogue, but sets up his themes and his central character with graceful economy.
Returning from her cleaning job, Séraphine climbs a large tree, feeling the wind on her face. Another day,...
- 11/30/2009
- by Jason Solomons
- The Guardian - Film News
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