Kirpianuscus the presence of Yolande Moreau becomes more important after the end of film. because her Seraphine is more than a character. it represents people and searches, colors and hopes. a film about art who defines the survive of a poor woman. far to be a great movie, it is only vehicle for noble idea. nothing new. nothing seductive. only a story about limits and need to e yourself against the expectations of the others. the film of Yolande Moreau. touching, sad, strange, soft. a biography who has nothing special. only the colors of paintings, the landscapes and the search of the manner to discover yourself to the other.a film about insignificant people. beautiful . but out of the ordinary expectations about a film about artists.

bandw This is the story of the French artist Séraphine Louis, posthumously known as "Séraphine de Senlis" (Senlis being her home town). Séraphine lived from 1864 to 1942 and is remembered primarily for the work she produced in the 1920s.Séraphine is first seen here as a house-cleaner and servant who performs menial tasks. She pretty much keeps her own company, although she does break bread on occasion with some local nuns at a convent where she was once a domestic. Rather plain in appearance and dress, and of sizable frame, she garners little notice and is treated with disregard, or outright insolence, by her employers. But Séraphine has an obsessive passion, which is to paint. She makes do with pigments she can come by for free like blood, candle wax, and certain soils; for those items she needs to buy she forgoes spending money on most everything else, like food and paying rent. This is her life until Wilhelm Uhde, a German art critic she tends to, accidentally sees one of her early paintings and is taken with it. But public recognition of Séraphine's talent is not immediate, being interrupted by World War I. What happens to Séraphine later in life after achieving some success is rather sad and augments the myth of the connection between madness and art.One aspect of Séraphine's personality that I found most interesting was the connection between her religious faith and her art. She felt that her guardian angel had commanded her to paint. While practicing her art, she would often sing songs of religious praise. Religious inspiration seems to be a source for a lot of great art.Yolande Moreau is perfectly cast as Séraphine; she gives a very believable performance. Her early life is that of a starving artist, however her physical appearance does not much reflect that she is starving. The period details (early twentieth century) are well done.The photos of some of Séraphine's works on one of the DVD extras are not to be missed. I feel that I got a much deeper understanding of the woman by having seen those. The paintings are uniquely beautiful; the level of detail is stunning and attests to her obsessions. Seeing these after the movie was kind of like seeing a fireworks display after a concert or sporting event.

alexmccourt Affecting biopic about a French cleaning lady, Seraphine Louis, who escapes her monotonous existence by walking in the countryside and painting colourful representations of what she sees there.Then along comes a German art critic who likes what he sees and gives her hope that one day soon she will become rich and famous. Problem is the first world war starts and he has to flee the country.He comes back a few years after the war ends expecting that Seraphine has died, but comes across a painting of hers in a local exhibition and gets in touch again.Anyway, the subtleties of this film, for me, lay first of all in the artist's love of the countryside and obsessive desire to represent this in her own way. Then, her touching reliance on her menial work and her art to support her fragile mental health. And, finally, the relationship between the art critic and his protégé. Although he respects her art and talent, you get the feeling that he can't quite get away from the fact that she is, after all, just a cleaning lady.

Chris_Docker Cinema is a language of deception. The set we see, the mise-en-scene, is what the director wants us to see. Conditioning us visually before an actor even speaks their lines. In costume dramas, the historical clothing is a further weapon to impress a specific artistic vision on us, further cloaking any subtext, whether the transformation of a marriage market story into 'rom-com' (Pride & Prejudice) or consciously travestying the past (Moulin Rouge!, Marie Antoinette). French cinema has achieved respected and less controversial use of costume with films like Jean de Florette and Manon des sources. In these examples, beautiful, nostalgic settings were contrasted with dystopian visions of the hard life. When we move to the biopic, cinematic techniques are routinely used to persuade us of 'what really happened.' Séraphine continues the proud French tradition of costume and historical drama, yet in a very accessible vein. It tells the (true) story of a minor French painter, Séraphine Louis (later known as Séraphine de Senlis, after the village where she lived.) Our story picks up Séraphine working as a maid for Madame Duphot. This lady of the house also rents an apartment to a German art critic-dealer, Wilhelm Uhde. Uhde believes in the 'primitive' artists and takes a liking to some of the maid's work he spots. Yolande Moreau's assured performance gives weight to what may be an unvarnished account. The discovery of the peasant woman's talent, her humble charm as she goes about collecting the ingredients for paint (wine, mud, fruits, flowers) as she goes about her chores as a domestic servant. Everything draws us sympathetically into Séraphine's world.Udhe nurtures Séraphine's embryonic talent, ensuring it is seen worldwide. But as war hits the economy, support evaporates. Séraphine's inner voices of inspiration lead her to psychosis and she meets her demise in an insane asylum.The painting itself is of the so-called 'naïve' style, characterized by childlike simplicity. (One of the most famous exponents, according to some, is L. S. Lowry.) The style seems natural to the childlike (if brilliant) personality of our peasant woman, although of course many naive art painters, including Lowry had, unlike Séraphine, plenty of schooling and formal knowledge of art technique.Production values in the film are high all round. Costume, acting, direction, all achieve a high standard, as evidenced by the many awards heaped on it in its own country. The overall effect is touching without being sentimental.Séraphine is a continuation of one woman's barely recognised legacy. Any subtext is about serving up a fine character from France's past, a commemoration of national greatness from the early 20th century. (Visits to the exhibition of her work in Senlis have, predictably, quadrupled since the release of the film.) If there is any ideological weakness, it is simply that held by the character herself, a Christian attitude of sacrifice and acceptance of fate. There is no strong judgement on whether Séraphine could have lived her life differently. No real analysis of her painting style. It is, after all, a classy and enchanting fairy tale hung on the hook of a historical person, a harmless deception perhaps. The viewer, should she or he wish, can make their own judgement. Just as they can on the deeply religious and fairly distinctive artworks she left for posterity.