Art, to a great degree, has always remained a mystery to me. It is something that I can stand and admire but find difficult to analyse, as I’m sure is true for many. One of the great successes of Fernando Trueba’s new film, The Artist and the Model, is to delve into the mind of an accomplished, passionate artist and let us appreciate his method and follow his line of thought without the need for clumsy or obvious dialogue.
The story, if it can be called that, follows an elderly and well-respected French sculptor, Marc Cros (played by a magnificent Jean Rochefort), who, tired both creatively and physically, is once more inspired upon meeting a poor Spanish girl, who has fled Franco’s regime to France and has been taken in by Marc’s generous wife (played by Claudia Cardinale).
Although set during the Second World War, for the first half of the film, the war itself remains very much on the sidelines. Indeed, before meeting his new model, the conflict seems barely to have registered in Marc’s consciousness and it is a revealing moment when this man says in a matter-of-fact way to the young runaway: “In any case, I have a sculpture to finish, war or no war.”
The relationship between the eponymous artist and his model is examined with subtlety and great nuance and the film touches on the sexuality underpinning it with poignancy. Even more fascinating is the role of Marc’s wife, perhaps more knowledgeable of her husband than the man himself and it is with great tenderness that she cares for him. Their relationship is as touching and revelatory if not more so than that between Marc and the model.
This film is a beautiful little gem, slow-moving, reflective and sublimely nuanced. Filmed in gorgeous black-and-white, the movie looks and feels like a classic and its gentle warmth, humour and depth makes for a very rewarding viewing experience.
12A Certificate
Review by LiveWire Film Critic, James Martin (September ’13)