BB.5
(out of 5)
What begins as a fascinating examination of a society that won’t allow the superior talent of seventeenth-century Artemisia Gentileschi to work or study because of her gender descends into a boring courtroom drama centering around her affair with her much older mentor. Valentina Cervi gives a passionate performance, but otherwise there’s little to recommend it beyond historical interest (which is far greater than this film allows you to believe). A more thorough look at the life of this fantastic painter and her powerful work, her influences and methods would be very welcome, but this particular film is too uneven.
Directed by Agnes Merlet
Story by Agnes Merlet, Christine Miller, Screenplay by Agnes Merlet, Christine Miller, Patrick Amos
Cinematography by Benoit Delhomme
Produced by Patrice Haddad
Music by Krishna Levy
Production Design by Emita Frigato
Costume Design by Dominique Borg
Film Editing by Guy Lecorne, Daniele Sordoni
Film Festivals: TIFF 1997
Cast Tags: Aaron De Luca, Alain Ollivier, Anna Lelio, Brigitte Catillon, Catherine Zago, Claudia Giannotti,Dominique Reymond, Edoardo Ruiz, Emmanuelle Devos, Enrico Salimbeni, Frédéric Pierrot, Guido Roncalli, Jacques Nolot, Liliane Rovère, Lorenzo Lavia, Luca Zingaretti, Massimo Pittarello, Maurice Garrel, Michel Serrault, Patrick Lancelot, Pierre Bechir, Predrag Manojlovic,Renato Carpentieri, Rinaldo Rocco, Sami Bouajila, Silvia De Santis, Valentina Cervi, Yann Trégouët
Golden Globe Award Nomination
Best Foreign Language Film (France)
Cesar Award Nominations
Best Cinematography
Best Costume Design
