Colette
Movie about the French writer
Colette tells the fascinating story of the woman behind the scandalous Claudine novels (and later Gigi) that dazzled French society in the first half of the 20th Century. The film depicts her rise from country girl to darling of the Parisian demi-monde with her husband Henry ‘Willy’ Gauthier-Villars. A critic and author in his own right, he mentors and later betrays her, as her stories gain them fame and notoriety. A compelling insight into this passionate young woman’s
journey to create independence, Colette is from the producers of Carol and Still Alice.
Unconventional country girl Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette has married charismatic egomaniacal man of letters, fourteen years her senior, known by the single name, ‘Willy.’ Through his auspices, Colette is introduced into the fecund world of the artistic demimonde in Paris where her creative appetite is sparked. Ever quick to capitalise on talent, Willy permits Colette to write her novels only if she does so in his name. The phenomenal success of her Claudine series makes Willy a famous writer and Colette and Willy the first modern celebrity couple. Although they are the toast of the town, lack of recognition for her work begins to gnaw on Colette. Their marriage starts to internally combust, fueled by Willy’s infidelities and Colette’s growing interest in women - particularly her relationship with the non-conforming Marquise de Belbeuf - but emotionally and artistically, she cannot break free of him. On a downward slide, Willy resorts to increasingly desperate measures to pay his debts and sabotage his wife but Colette is developing resources of her own. Set at the dawn of the modern age, COLETTE is the story of a woman who has been denied her voice by an overbearing man, going to extraordinary lengths to find it.
Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JnTNgZz4Sm0
Go to www.rialtotauranga.co.nz for Tauranga screening times. Scheduled for February 2019.