I'm happy to report that I survived ‘Picasso' (barely), but on the Merchant-Ivory production scale, this thunderously dull Harlequin romance masquerading as serious biography leans more towards Jefferson in Paris than Howard's End. Anthony Hopkins gamely tries to portray the legendary artist, but the transition from semi-reserved Welshman to lusty Spaniard is too much of a stretch, and Hopkins isn't helped by his exceptionally lackluster co-star Natascha McElhone. The film, which opens during the German occupation of Paris in 1943, recounts the painter's 10-year affair with a Parisian girl, and his manipulative relationships with his "extended" families--former and future lovers and offspring. Although we are repeatedly told that the semi-misogynist Picasso attracted women as moths to a flame (and the historical record bears this out), neither Ruth Prawer Jhabvala's screenplay nor Hopkins' portrayal give us any reason to believe it. Not a necessary purchase. (R. Pitman)
Surviving Picasso
(Warner, 126 min., R, avail. Mar. 25) Vol. 12, Issue 2
Surviving Picasso
Star Ratings
As of March 2022, Video Librarian has changed from a four-star rating system to a five-star one. This change allows our reviewers to have a wider range of critical viewpoints, as well as to synchronize with Google’s rating structure. This change affects all reviews from March 2022 onwards. All reviews from before this period will still retain their original rating. Future film submissions will be considered our new 1-5 star criteria.
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