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Anthony Hopkins, Natascha McElhone, Julianne Moore, Joss Ackland, Peter Eyre ... see more see more... , Diane Venora , Jane Lapotaire , Dennis Boutsikaris , Joseph Maher , Bob Peck , Joan Plowright , Dominic West , Peter Gerety , Thomas Fisher , Andreas Wisniewski , Susannah Harker

This unusual biography of the renowned Spanish artist Pablo Picasso is a Merchant-Ivory film. The team of director James Ivory, producer Ismail Merchant, and screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala has been... read more read more... responsible for many period dramas, including A Room with a View and Howard's End. The story of Picasso's remarkable misanthropy is told as experienced by his mistress Francoise Gilot (Natasha McElhone). Francoise was Picasso's lover from 1944 to 1954, and they had two children together, Claude and Paloma. The film shows Picasso (Anthony Hopkins) as a notorious womanizer, with flashbacks revealing his relationships with his wife Olga (Jane Lapotaire), the artist Dora Marr (Julianne Moore), and Marie-Therese Walter (Susannah Harker), an earthy type who sees the artist only on Sundays. Hopkins powerfully portrays Picasso as an artistic genius with an appalling habit of using and abusing women. He not only cheats on his wife but two-times his mistresses. Francoise has survived an abusive relationship with her father (Bob Peck), and she is 40 years younger than Picasso when they become lovers. The film was supposed to be based on Gilot's book Life with Picasso, but the filmmakers were unable to get the rights to it, so they settled for basing the film on Arianna Huffington's Picasso: Creator and Destroyer. The movie also uses imitations rather than Picasso's real paintings. ~ Michael Betzold, Rovi

Flixster Users

57% liked it

3,894 ratings

Critics

33% liked it

18 critics

R, 2 hr. 5 min.

Directed by: James Ivory

Release Date: September 4, 1996

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DVD Release Date: March 25, 1997

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Stats: 112 reviews

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Flixster Reviews (112)

  • Redlats
    July 16, 2007
    Redlats
    Like a movie star, Picasso had many relationships. This movie is about one of those relationships in fact, between Picasso at 60 and a 20's year old Francoise. I cannot believe how dependant on Picasso the mistresses are, but there is hope in the heroine of the movie.
  • juliantoepfer
    December 31, 2011
    juliantoepfer
    This movie isn't even about Picasso. It would have been nice to see Hopkins tackle an actual biopic, but this is a bastardized and misplaced attempt at an inaccurate romantic drama.

    Instead of watching a movie about Picasso and his evolution as an artist, we instead follow the... read more life story of a coat-tail riding girlfriend. It is boring, tedious, unbearably overlong, and just focuses on the most unnecessary and trivial things in an extremely interesting and inspirational life.

    Surprisingly, the acting is a major flaw. Hopkins does not exude the ere of Picasso, who while confident and sometimes boisterous, was often introverted and very sensitive. McElhone is ok, but for some reason, she instead of Hopkins is counted on to carry the film, and her act wears pretty thin in a 2 hour plus movie.

    The direction is wandering, aimless and focus-less, which given the plot, fits right in. (That was not a complement). The script is heavy, and bogs down the already questionable interplay between the actors. I did enjoy a few things, particularly the interplay between Picasso and his friend/rival Henri Matesse, which was one of the few accurate points in the story.

    Above all the acting/script/direction problems is the story. I can overlook some of the above weaknesses if I'm given an entertaining plot. But this is dry, self-important, going nowhere dribble. There is little to no time spent on Picasso as far as his artistic development, genius or inspiration. There is little to no time spent on Picasso as an artist at all. Picasso the ARTIST is where a Picasso movie becomes worthwhile, not Picasso the womanizing douche.
  • PinkMinkPrincess
    June 15, 2011
    PinkMinkPrincess
    As an Artist, I LOVE Picasso.He was a Genius.Often that kind of Genius makes for a Narcissistic Personality as in his case.He was A Horrible Husband & Father who left even his Mistress for whomever he pleased, whenever he pleased & had moments of Cruelty.He was a Man to be Tolera... read moreted.
  • divecompany1
    May 3, 2007
    divecompany1
    A portrait of the painters inner sanctum. A cross-section on the artist's life. Good for art lovers!
  • systm13
    August 22, 2006
    systm13
    Never been able to watch the entire thing as a whole, but the 80% of the movie i have seen is well done.

View All Surviving Picasso Reviews

Critic Reviews

Daniel M. Kimmel
April 29, 2005
Daniel M. Kimmel, Variety

...a stunning debut by Natascha McElhone... Full Review

Nick Davis
January 10, 2003
Nick Davis, Nick's Flick Picks

Ambition notwithstanding, Surviving Picasso fails prodigiously, mostly out of its own confusion over who it is about and what it wants to say. Full Review

Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat
August 28, 2002
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice

Covers ten turbulent years in the life of this major luminary of 20th century art. Full Review

Owen Gleiberman
September 7, 2011
Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment Weekly

Click to read the article Full Review

Jeff Strickler
November 6, 2002
Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune

Click to read the article Full Review

April 12, 2002
Globe and Mail

Click to read the article Full Review

Rita Kempley
January 22, 2002
Rita Kempley, Washington Post

Click to read the article Full Review

Peter Travers
May 12, 2001
Peter Travers, Rolling Stone

No review available.

Kenneth Turan
February 14, 2001
Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

Click to read the article Full Review

Susan Stark
January 1, 2000
Susan Stark, Detroit News

Click to read the article Full Review

Critic ratings and reviews powered by RottenTomatoes.com

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