Film Forum

(1958) In the last years of the painter’s life, Gerard Philippe’s Amedeo Modigliani goes down, down, down, despite lovers and subjects Lilli Palmer and Anouk Aimee, with slimy art dealer Lino Ventura’s post-mort painting flipping an electrifying finale. Becker completely rewrote the film after taking over after Max Ophul’s sudden death. DCP courtesy of the Institut Français, thanks to the Cultural Services of the French Embassy. Approx. 120 min.

Reviews

“Becker’s humanism is unwavering, even when confronting such stereotypes as the rich American philistine or the uncomprehending working man. Creativity is viewed matter-of-factly, as an affair of sheer hard work.”
– Bob Baker, Time Out

“An outpouring of passionate and flamboyant style, a furious cinematic revolt against restraint. The story of Modigliani’s agonies gives rise to Becker’s own cri de coeur regarding the practical and commercial perversities that are inflicted upon artists.”
– Richard Brody, The New Yorker

“Unusually, occasionally remarkably, effective at conveying the struggles and humiliations faced by artists ahead of their times.”
– David Mermelstein, The Wall Street Journal