Balzac: A Life of Passion

Rating:
Summary: THE PASSION'S OFF SCREEN
Review: Honore de Balzac (1799-1850) is the towering giant of French literature and the founder of the contemporary realistic novel in which social pressures and cultural themes are examined as the molding forces on the raw human personalities that inhabit these environments.

"BALZAC: A LIFE OF PASSION" attempts to reveal the inner life of the indulgent and prolific man who created over 2,000 literary characters. Depardieu, looking bigger than ever, is certainly a perfect embodied of the bloated physical persona of Balzac. And is even a match for the well-known sculpture by Auguste Rodin.

What's missing are the things that triggered the great writer's stories. A top notch international cast, including Jeanne Moreau as Balzac's domineering mother, and Fanny Ardent as married Russian noblewoman Eva Hanska, the love of his love, contribute a lot to making this three hour French TV biopic an engaging diversion. Great onscreen impassioned speeches almost make-up for the off-screen, allegedly passionate, writing and lovemaking. The matted widescreen disc has filmographies and weblinks.

Rating:
Summary: Good quality production
Review: This is a good sturdy film about Balzac, with great cast, although one gets a little tired of Gerard being in every French production. Don't they have other actors? But this is beside the point, and in this movie he's done quite well. Jeanne Moreau is superb as his mother, and Ardant also gives a very satisfying performance. Overall, it's a good traditional production, in the realism style, and for those enjoying films of this kind it will be a pleasure to watch. But don't expect any novelty in it, and that's why I gave it 3 stars - I would want to see something more unusual or witty, maybe not such a traditional approach, something in style of the statue of Balzac by August Rodin.

Rating:
Summary: Good quality production
Review: This is a good sturdy film about Balzac, with great cast, although one gets a little tired of Gerard being in every French production. Don't they have other actors? But this is beside the point, and in this movie he's done quite well. Jeanne Moreau is superb as his mother, and Ardant also gives a very satisfying performance. Overall, it's a good traditional production, in the realism style, and for those enjoying films of this kind it will be a pleasure to watch. But don't expect any novelty in it, and that's why I gave it 3 stars - I would want to see something more unusual or witty, maybe not such a traditional approach, something in style of the statue of Balzac by August Rodin.

Rating:
Summary: BALZAC-DEPARDIEU
Review: This tv serie is one of three DEPARDIEU played in .It is not easy to deal with such a towering figure like BALZAC.Although it was a valiant try to summarize some highlights of his life,the serie only partially succeeds to interest viewers.My favorite segment is the one with the RUSSIAN comptess who falls in love with HONORÉ.It really shows the importance that correspondance had in that century,especially when you deal with a writer,it really becomes essential.Like many great writers,BALZAC's greatness is not his personnal life but is all contained in his novels.The legendary aspects of BALZAC are there(LA CANNE AU POMMEAU D'OR,SA FAMEUSE CAFETIERE WHO KEPT HIM AWAKE DURING THE WEE HOURS etc.)If you want to buy one serie among the three,buy LES MISÉRABLES, in which DÉPARDIEU is VALJEAN and MALKOVICH JAVERT.Overall,it is the best of the three.

Rating:
Summary: One of the best French movies made
Review: When I first saw the movie I was hooked on the spot.The cast and the acting was good along with the sets and camerawork.Jeanne Moreau and Gerard Depardieu are a perfect match as mother and son in the film.But I wanted to see more of Jeanne Moreau in the film and want to see more highs and lows in the mother-son relationship.The scene which nearly made me cry was Moreau's character at the door asking for her son's forgiveness.Give Jeanne Moreau a good script and she will give you your money's work.