Final Portrait
- Director: Stanley Tucci
- Writer: Stanley Tucci
- Producer: Nik Bower; Michael S. Constable
CGiii Comment
Do a little research on James Lord beforehand...it will help understand the nuance of Armie Hammer's performance. Lord's homosexuality is subdued...almost to the point of invisibility...apart from one line, to paraphrase: I was getting excited... until I knew you were a woman!
By stark contrast, there is nothing subdued about Geoffrey Rush...as the chain-smoking, madcap, Giacometti. It's a safe bet to wager...Mr Rush will be collecting a few notable awards for the cantankerous charisma he bestows upon the artist. Deservedly so!
With an exceptional colour palette, Final Portrait is a visual feast...as you would expect for an 'art film' - our only gripe, the constantly moving camera! To be fair, in a post-film chat with a fellow reviewer who 'liked' the camera's movement...I stand firm: Art is static, the movement (and magic) are contained within the frame...that's what makes it art! No doubt, a discussion that will rage on...
A fine, fine film nonetheless.
Trailer...
The(ir) Blurb...
In 1964, while on a short trip to Paris, the American writer and art-lover James Lord (Armie Hammer) is asked by his friend, the world-renowned artist Alberto Giacometti (Geoffrey Rush), to sit for a portrait. The process, Giacometti assures Lord, will take only a few days. Flattered and intrigued, Lord agrees. So begins not only the story of an offbeat friendship, but, seen through the eyes of Lord, an insight into the beauty, frustration, profundity and, at times, downright chaos of the artistic process. FINAL PORTRAIT is a portrait of a genius, and of a friendship between two men who are utterly different, yet increasingly bonded through a single, ever-evolving act of creativity. It is a film which shines a light on the artistic process itself, by turns exhilarating, exasperating and bewildering, questioning whether the gift of a great artist is a blessing or a curse.
Cast & Characters
Geoffrey Rush as Alberto Giacometti;
Armie Hammer as James Lord;
Clemence Poesy as Caroline;
Tony Shalhoub as Diego Giacometti;
James Faulkner as Pierre Matisse;
Sylvie Testud as Annette Arm;
Martyn Mayger as Older man in cafe;
Philippe Spall as Pimp;
Attila G. Kerekes as Parisian Passer-by;
Begona F. Martin as Prostitute;
Dolly Jagdeo as Party Girl;
Laura Bernardeschi as Cafe costumer;
Gaspard Caens as Pimp 2;
Laetitia Cazaux as French prostitute;
Takatsuna Mukai as Japanese Man