Doillon Sculpts Scraps in Dry Biopic in Cannes Preemed Rodin (2017) | Blu-ray Review

Although it’s one of director Jacques Doillon’s most prolific projects in years, his 2017 biopic Rodin, headlined by revered French actor Vincent Lindon, is something of a non-event, especially as far as portraits of artists go. Competing at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival, where it was coolly received, it failed to get much love beyond the festival circuit, distributed in June of 2018 by Cohen Media Group in the US, where it took in just over forty-thousand at the box-office. Compared to previous films dealing with Rodin, usually in relation to his student/lover/rival Camille Claudel, Doillon doesn’t generate much interest in the famed sculptor of “The Kiss” and “The Thinker.”

From our Cannes review:

“As the titular figure, Vincent Lindon is defined more by his beard than his performance, and there’s little chance for him to touch on any real emotional depths concerning his love life or his work with Doillon’s script, which calls for an awful lot of extra-long conversations about the nature of art amongst the who’s who of the period, with Cezanne, Zola, Manet, and Rilke (a brief bit with Anders Danielson Lie). Undoubtedly on the sluggish side of the spectrum, Rodin doesn’t do Lindon, Doillon, or the artist himself any favors.”

Disc Review:

The Cohen Media Group presents Doillon’s title with French 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio. On a technical level, Doillon’s film succeeds thanks to its formal craftsmanship, enhancing the picture and sound quality but little else. Besides the theatrical trailer, a lone bonus feature is included.

Sculpting Rodin:
This thirty-one-minute segment is an interview with Jacques Doillon and Veronique Mattiussi (head of the historical fund at the Musée Rodin).

Film Review: ★★/☆☆☆☆☆
Disc Review: ★★★/☆☆☆☆☆