Total Eclipse (film): Difference between revisions

Total Eclipse
Total Eclipse
	Total Eclipse original theatrical poster
Directed by	Agnieszka Holland
Written by	Christopher Hampton
Produced by	Jean-Pierre Ramsay-Levi; Philip Hinchcliffe; Victor Glynn Co-Prod
Starring	Leonardo DiCaprio; David Thewlis; Romane Bohringer; Dominique Blanc;
Cinematography	Yorgos Arvanitis
Edited by	Isabelle Lorente
Music by	Jan A.P. Kaczmarek
Distributed by	Fine Line Features
Release date	3 November 1995 (United States);
Running time	111 minutes
Countries	United Kingdom; France; Belgium; Italy; United States
Language	English
Budget	€6,780,000
Box office	$340,139

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Total Eclipse is a 1995 erotic historical drama film directed by Agnieszka Holland,^[3] based on a 1967 play by Christopher Hampton, who also wrote the screenplay. Based on letters and poems, it presents a historically accurate account of the relationship between 19th-century French poets Arthur Rimbaud (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Paul Verlaine (David Thewlis).^[4] Warner Bros. has included the film in the catalogue of Warner Archive Collection.^[5]

Plot

The older Paul Verlaine meets Arthur Rimbaud's sister Isabelle in a café in Paris. Isabelle and her mother want Verlaine to hand over any copies he may still have of Rimbaud's poems so that they can burn them. Verlaine reflects on the relationship he formed with Rimbaud, beginning when the teenaged Rimbaud had sent his poetry to Verlaine from his home in the provinces in 1871. Verlaine impulsively invited him to his rich father-in-law's home in Paris, where he lives with his young, pregnant wife. Rimbaud displays no sense of manners or decency, scandalising Verlaine's pretentious, bourgeois in-laws.

The 27-year-old Verlaine is seduced by the 16-year-old Rimbaud's physical body as well as by the originality of his mind. The staid respectability of married life and easy, middle-class surroundings had been stifling Verlaine's admittedly sybaritic literary talent. Rimbaud acts as sadistically to Verlaine as does Verlaine to his young wife, whom he eventually deserts. A violent, itinerant relationship ensues between the two poets, the climax of which arrives in Brussels when a drunken and enraged Verlaine shoots Rimbaud and is sentenced a fine and two years in prison for sodomy and grievous bodily harm.

In prison, Verlaine converts to Christianity, to his former lover's disgust. Upon release he meets Rimbaud in Germany, vainly and mistakenly seeking to revive the relationship. The two men part, never to meet again. Bitterly renouncing literature in any form, Rimbaud travels the world alone, finally settling in Abyssinia (modern day Ethiopia) to run a "trading post". There he has a mistress. A tumour in his right knee forces him back to France where his leg is amputated. Nevertheless, the cancer spreads and he dies at the age of 37. When he dies, the image of one of his most famous poems, Le Dormeur du val, appears.

During her conversation with Verlaine, Isabelle Rimbaud asserts that her brother had accepted confession from a priest right before he died, showing Christian penitence, which is why only the censored versions of his poetry should survive. Verlaine pretends to agree but tears up her card after she leaves. Later, Verlaine, drinking absinthe (to which he has become addicted), sees a vision of the sixteen-year-old Rimbaud. The film ends with the young Rimbaud walking alone on a mountain range, Verlaine proclaiming that they were both happy together, and Rimbaud claiming to have finally found eternity.

Cast

Leonardo DiCaprio as Arthur Rimbaud
David Thewlis as Paul Verlaine
Romane Bohringer as Mathilde Mauté
Dominique Blanc as Isabelle Rimbaud
Felicie Pasotti Cabarbaye as Isabelle, as a child
Nita Klein as Rimbaud's Mother
James Thiérrée as Frédéric
Emmanuelle Oppo as Vitalie
Denise Chalem as Mrs. Mauté de Fleurville
Andrzej Seweryn as Mr. Mauté de Fleurville
Christopher Thompson as Carjat
Bruce Van Barthold as Aicard
Christopher Chaplin as Charles Cros
Christopher Hampton as The Judge
Mathias Jung as André
Aza Declercq as prostitute

Home media

In 1999, a DVD edition of the film was released. It features both a widescreen and fullscreen version of the film on the same disc as well as the film trailer.

Reception

Critical response

Total Eclipse has an approval rating of 22% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 18 reviews, and an average rating of 4.5/10, against a 60% score with audiences.^[6] Metacritic gives the film a weighted average score of 42 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".^[7] A Variety review by Todd McCarthy describes Total Eclipse as a "poorly executed biographical film that fails to capture the artistic achievements of poets Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine, instead focusing excessively on their destructive personal relationship, which detracts from the film's intended exploration of their artistic contributions."^[8]

References

^ "Total Eclipse (1995)". JPBox-Office. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
^ "Total Eclipse (1995)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 7 September 2013.
^ "Total Eclipse". TCM Shop. Archived from the original on 18 November 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
^ Ewa Mazierska; Michael Goddard (2014). Polish Cinema in a Transnational Context. Boydell & Brewer. pp. 290–. ISBN 978-1-58046-468-0.
^ "Total Eclipse (1995) (MOD)". WB Shop. Archived from the original on 7 May 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.
^ "Total Eclipse (1995)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 May 2024.
^ "Total Eclipse Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 25 February 2023.
^ McCarthy, Todd (11 September 1995). "Total Eclipse". Variety. Retrieved 9 November 2024.

External links

Total Eclipse at IMDb
Total Eclipse at Rotten Tomatoes

[1] "Total Eclipse (1995)". JPBox-Office. Retrieved 7 September 2013.

[2] "Total Eclipse (1995)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 7 September 2013.

[3] "Total Eclipse". TCM Shop. Archived from the original on 18 November 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2020.

[MazierskaGoddard2014-4] Ewa Mazierska; Michael Goddard (2014). Polish Cinema in a Transnational Context. Boydell & Brewer. pp. 290–. ISBN 978-1-58046-468-0.

[5] "Total Eclipse (1995) (MOD)". WB Shop. Archived from the original on 7 May 2020. Retrieved 23 July 2020.

[6] "Total Eclipse (1995)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 1 May 2024.

[7] "Total Eclipse Reviews". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved 25 February 2023.

[8] McCarthy, Todd (11 September 1995). "Total Eclipse". Variety. Retrieved 9 November 2024.

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 }}
-'''''Total Eclipse''''' is a 1995 [[Erotic film|erotic]] historic [[Drama (film and television)|drama]] film directed by [[Agnieszka Holland]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://shop.tcm.com/total-eclipse/88857440981 |title=Total Eclipse |publisher=TCM Shop |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191118043647/https://shop.tcm.com/total-eclipse/88857440981 |archive-date=2019-11-18 |access-date=23 July 2020}}</ref> based on a 1967 play by [[Christopher Hampton]], who also wrote the screenplay. Based on letters and poems, it presents a historically accurate account of the passionate and violent relationship between 19th-century [[France|French]] poets [[Arthur Rimbaud]] ([[Leonardo DiCaprio]]) and [[Paul Verlaine]] ([[David Thewlis]]), at a time of soaring creativity for both men.<ref name="MazierskaGoddard2014">{{cite book|author1=Ewa Mazierska|author2=Michael Goddard|title=Polish Cinema in a Transnational Context|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jdlGAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA290|year=2014|publisher=Boydell & Brewer|isbn=978-1-58046-468-0|pages=290–}}</ref> Warner Bros. has included the film in the catalogue of [[Warner Archive Collection]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wbshop.com/products/total-eclipse-1995-mod |title=Total Eclipse (1995) (MOD) |website=WB Shop |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200507043803/https://www.wbshop.com/products/total-eclipse-1995-mod |archive-date=2020-05-07 |access-date=23 July 2020}}</ref>
+'''''Total Eclipse''''' is a 1995 [[Erotic film|erotic]] [[historical drama]] film directed by [[Agnieszka Holland]],<ref>{{cite web |url=https://shop.tcm.com/total-eclipse/88857440981 |title=Total Eclipse |publisher=TCM Shop |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191118043647/https://shop.tcm.com/total-eclipse/88857440981 |archive-date=2019-11-18 |access-date=23 July 2020}}</ref> based on a 1967 play by [[Christopher Hampton]], who also wrote the screenplay. Based on letters and poems, it presents a historically accurate account of the relationship between 19th-century French poets [[Arthur Rimbaud]] ([[Leonardo DiCaprio]]) and [[Paul Verlaine]] ([[David Thewlis]]).<ref name="MazierskaGoddard2014">{{cite book|author1=Ewa Mazierska|author2=Michael Goddard|title=Polish Cinema in a Transnational Context|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jdlGAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA290|year=2014|publisher=Boydell & Brewer|isbn=978-1-58046-468-0|pages=290–}}</ref> Warner Bros. has included the film in the catalogue of [[Warner Archive Collection]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.wbshop.com/products/total-eclipse-1995-mod |title=Total Eclipse (1995) (MOD) |website=WB Shop |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200507043803/https://www.wbshop.com/products/total-eclipse-1995-mod |archive-date=2020-05-07 |access-date=23 July 2020}}</ref>
 ==Plot==
 <!-- Please refer to WP:FILMPLOT before editing this section. The plot summary should be 400 to 700 words. -->
-The older [[Paul Verlaine]] meets [[Arthur Rimbaud]]'s sister, Isabelle, in a café in [[Paris]]. Isabelle and her mother want Verlaine to hand over any copies he may still have of Rimbaud's poems so that they can burn them; they fear the lewdness of his writings. Verlaine reflects on the wild relationship he had had with Rimbaud, beginning when the teenaged Rimbaud had sent his poetry to Verlaine from his home in the provinces in 1871. Verlaine, instantly fascinated, impulsively invites him to his rich father-in-law's home in Paris, where he lives with his young, pregnant wife. The wild, eccentric Rimbaud displays no sense of manners or decency whatsoever, scandalising Verlaine's pretentious, [[bourgeoisie|bourgeois]] in-laws.
+The older [[Paul Verlaine]] meets [[Arthur Rimbaud]]'s sister Isabelle in a café in Paris. Isabelle and her mother want Verlaine to hand over any copies he may still have of Rimbaud's poems so that they can burn them. Verlaine reflects on the relationship he formed with Rimbaud, beginning when the teenaged Rimbaud had sent his poetry to Verlaine from his home in the provinces in 1871. Verlaine impulsively invited him to his rich father-in-law's home in Paris, where he lives with his young, pregnant wife. Rimbaud displays no sense of manners or decency, scandalising Verlaine's pretentious, [[bourgeoisie|bourgeois]] in-laws.
-The 27-year-old Verlaine is seduced by the 16-year-old Rimbaud's physical body as well as by the unique originality of his mind. The staid respectability of married, [[heterosexual]] life and easy, [[middle class]] surroundings had been stifling Verlaine's admittedly [[sybaritic]] literary talent. His taking up with Rimbaud is as much a rebellion and a liberation as it is a giving in to self-indulgence and [[Sadomasochism|masochism]]. Rimbaud acts as [[Sadomasochism|sadistically]] to Verlaine as does Verlaine to his young wife, whom he eventually deserts. A violent, itinerant relationship ensues between the two poets, the sad climax of which arrives in [[Brussels]] when a drunken and enraged Verlaine shoots and wounds Rimbaud and is sentenced a fine and two years in prison for [[sodomy]] and [[grievous bodily harm]].
+The 27-year-old Verlaine is seduced by the 16-year-old Rimbaud's physical body as well as by the originality of his mind. The staid respectability of married life and easy, middle-class surroundings had been stifling Verlaine's admittedly [[Sybaris#Legacy|sybaritic]] literary talent. Rimbaud acts as [[Sadomasochism|sadistically]] to Verlaine as does Verlaine to his young wife, whom he eventually deserts. A violent, itinerant relationship ensues between the two poets, the climax of which arrives in [[Brussels]] when a drunken and enraged Verlaine shoots Rimbaud and is sentenced a fine and two years in prison for [[sodomy]] and grievous bodily harm.
-In prison, Verlaine converts to [[Christianity]], to his erstwhile lover's disgust. Upon release he meets Rimbaud in [[Germany]], vainly and mistakenly seeking to revive the relationship. The two men part, never to meet again. Bitterly renouncing literature in any form, Rimbaud travels the world alone, finally settling in Abyssinia (modern day [[Ethiopia]]) to run a "trading post". There he has a mistress and possibly a young boy-lover. A [[tumour]] in his right knee forces him back to France where his leg is amputated. Nevertheless, the [[cancer]] spreads and he dies at the age of 37. When he dies, the image of one of his most famous poems, ''Le Dormeur du val'', appears.
+In prison, Verlaine converts to Christianity, to his former lover's disgust. Upon release he meets Rimbaud in Germany, vainly and mistakenly seeking to revive the relationship. The two men part, never to meet again. Bitterly renouncing literature in any form, Rimbaud travels the world alone, finally settling in Abyssinia (modern day Ethiopia) to run a "trading post". There he has a mistress. A tumour in his right knee forces him back to France where his leg is amputated. Nevertheless, the cancer spreads and he dies at the age of 37. When he dies, the image of one of his most famous poems, ''Le Dormeur du val'', appears.
-During her conversation with Verlaine, Isabelle Rimbaud asserts that her brother had accepted [[Confession (religion)|confession]] from a priest right before he died, showing Christian penitence, which is why only the censored versions of his poetry should survive. Verlaine pretends to agree but tears up her card after she leaves. Later, Verlaine, drinking [[absinthe]] (to which he has become addicted), sees a vision of the sixteen-year-old Rimbaud, returned from some transcendent realm to express the love and respect Verlaine has thus posthumously earned. The film ends with the young Rimbaud walking alone on a mountain range, Verlaine proclaiming that they were both happy together, and Rimbaud claiming to have finally found eternity.
+During her conversation with Verlaine, Isabelle Rimbaud asserts that her brother had accepted confession from a priest right before he died, showing Christian penitence, which is why only the censored versions of his poetry should survive. Verlaine pretends to agree but tears up her card after she leaves. Later, Verlaine, drinking [[absinthe]] (to which he has become addicted), sees a vision of the sixteen-year-old Rimbaud. The film ends with the young Rimbaud walking alone on a mountain range, Verlaine proclaiming that they were both happy together, and Rimbaud claiming to have finally found eternity.
 ==Cast==
+{{cast list|
 * [[Leonardo DiCaprio]] as [[Arthur Rimbaud]]
 * [[David Thewlis]] as [[Paul Verlaine]]
@@ Line 53: / Line 54: @@
 * [[Mathias Jung]] as André
 * Aza Declercq as prostitute
+}}
-==Critical response==
-[[Rotten Tomatoes]] gave the film a 25% "rotten" score with critics (four of the sixteen reviews being positive) against a 61% score with audiences.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/total_eclipse |title=Total Eclipse (1995) |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=23 July 2020}}</ref>
 ==Home media==
 In 1999, a [[DVD]] edition of the film was released. It features both a widescreen and fullscreen version of the film on the same disc as well as the film trailer.
+==Reception==
+===Critical response===
+''Total Eclipse'' has an approval rating of 22% on [[review aggregator]] website [[Rotten Tomatoes]], based on 18 reviews, and an average rating of 4.5/10, against a 60% score with audiences.<ref>{{cite web |title=Total Eclipse (1995) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/total_eclipse |access-date=1 May 2024 |publisher=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]}}</ref> [[Metacritic]] gives the film a weighted average score of 42 out of 100 based on 17 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Total Eclipse Reviews |url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/total-eclipse |access-date=February 25, 2023 |website=[[Metacritic]] |publisher=[[Fandom, Inc.]]}}</ref> A [[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] review by [[Todd McCarthy]] describes Total Eclipse as a "poorly executed biographical film that fails to capture the artistic achievements of poets Arthur Rimbaud and Paul Verlaine, instead focusing excessively on their destructive personal relationship, which detracts from the film's intended exploration of their artistic contributions."<ref>{{cite web |last1=McCarthy |first1=Todd |title=Total Eclipse |url=https://variety.com/1995/film/reviews/total-eclipse-1200442933/ |website=Variety |access-date=9 November 2024 |date=11 September 1995}}</ref>
 == See also ==
@@ Line 78: / Line 81: @@
 {{DEFAULTSORT:Total Eclipse (Film)}}
-[[Category:Belgian films]]
 [[Category:1995 films]]
 [[Category:1990s biographical drama films]]
 [[Category:1995 independent films]]
-[[Category:1995 LGBT-related films]]
+[[Category:1995 LGBTQ-related films]]
 [[Category:American biographical drama films]]
 [[Category:American erotic drama films]]
-[[Category:American films]]
 [[Category:American independent films]]
-[[Category:American LGBT-related films]]
+[[Category:American LGBTQ-related films]]
 [[Category:Belgian biographical drama films]]
 [[Category:Belgian independent films]]
-[[Category:Belgian LGBT-related films]]
+[[Category:Belgian LGBTQ-related films]]
 [[Category:British biographical drama films]]
-[[Category:British films]]
 [[Category:British independent films]]
-[[Category:British LGBT-related films]]
+[[Category:British LGBTQ-related films]]
 [[Category:French biographical drama films]]
-[[Category:French films]]
 [[Category:French independent films]]
-[[Category:French LGBT-related films]]
+[[Category:French LGBTQ-related films]]
 [[Category:Italian biographical drama films]]
-[[Category:Italian films]]
 [[Category:Italian independent films]]
-[[Category:Italian LGBT-related films]]
+[[Category:Italian LGBTQ-related films]]
 [[Category:1990s English-language films]]
 [[Category:English-language Belgian films]]
@@ Line 108: / Line 106: @@
 [[Category:English-language Italian films]]
 [[Category:Films about writers]]
-[[Category:Male bisexuality in film]]
+[[Category:Films about male bisexuality]]
 [[Category:Cultural depictions of Arthur Rimbaud]]
 [[Category:Films set in the 1870s]]
@@ Line 114: / Line 112: @@
 [[Category:Films shot in Antwerp]]
 [[Category:Films directed by Agnieszka Holland]]
+[[Category:Films with screenplays by Christopher Hampton]]
 [[Category:Films scored by Jan A. P. Kaczmarek]]
 [[Category:1990s erotic drama films]]
 [[Category:1995 drama films]]
 [[Category:Biographical films about poets]]
+[[Category:LGBTQ-related romantic drama films]]
+[[Category:1990s American films]]
+[[Category:1990s British films]]
+[[Category:1990s French films]]
+[[Category:English-language independent films]]
+[[Category:English-language biographical drama films]]
+[[Category:English-language erotic drama films]]
+[[Category:LGBTQ-related independent films]]

v t e Arthur Rimbaud
Works	Poésies "Soleil et chair" "Le Bateau ivre" "Voyelles" Les Illuminations Une Saison en enfer La Chasse spirituelle Letters
Related articles	Rimbaud and Verlaine Foundation Verlaine et Rimbaud (album) A Season in Hell (film) Une saison en enfer (album) Total Eclipse (film) Sahara Blue (album)
Related biographies	Paul Verlaine Frédéric Rimbaud (father) Vitalie Rimbaud (mother) Frédéric Rimbaud (brother) Vitalie Rimbaud (sister) Isabelle Rimbaud Paterne Berrichon Ernest Delahaye Georges Izambard Jean-Jacques Lefrère

v t e Christopher Hampton
Films written and directed	Carrington (1995) The Secret Agent (1996) Imagining Argentina (2003)
Films written only	A Doll's House (1973) Tales from the Vienna Woods (1979) The Honorary Consul (1983) The Good Father (1985) The Wolf at the Door (1986) Hotel du Lac (1986) Dangerous Liaisons (1988) Total Eclipse (1995) Mary Reilly (1996) The Quiet American (2002) Atonement (2007) Chéri (2009) A Dangerous Method (2011) The Thirteenth Tale (2013) Adoration (2013) Ali and Nino (2016) The Father (2020) The Son (2022)
TV series created	The History Man (1981) The Ginger Tree (1989) The Singapore Grip (2020)
Plays	The Philanthropist Savages Treats Tales from Hollywood Les Liaisons Dangereuses
Musical productions	Sunset Boulevard Dracula, the Musical Waiting for the Barbarians Appomattox The Trial Rebecca Stephen Ward