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Final Portrait

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Final Portrait
Theatrical release poster
Directed byStanley Tucci
Written byStanley Tucci
Produced by
  • Nik Bower
  • Gail Egan
  • Ilann Girard
Starring
CinematographyDanny Cohen
Edited byCamilla Toniolo
Music byEvan Lurie
Production
companies
  • Olive Productions
  • Potboiler Productions
  • Riverstone Pictures
Distributed by
Release dates
  • February 11, 2017 (2017-02-11) (Berlin)
  • August 18, 2017 (2017-08-18) (United Kingdom)
  • March 23, 2018 (2018-03-23) (United States)
Running time
90 minutes
Countries
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
LanguageEnglish
Box office$1.7 million[1]

Final Portrait is a 2017 drama film written and directed by Stanley Tucci. The film stars Geoffrey Rush, Armie Hammer, Clémence Poésy, Tony Shalhoub, James Faulkner, and Sylvie Testud. The film had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on 11 February 11 2017. The film was released in the United Kingdom on August 18, 2017, by Vertigo Releasing. The film was released in the United States on 23 March 2018 by Sony Pictures Classics.

Plot

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In Paris 1964, famed sculptor Alberto Giacometti bumps into his old friend James Lord, an American critic, and asks him to be a model for his latest portrait in his studio for a couple of days. Flattered by the request, Lord complies and is told that only two days are needed to do the portrait. Giacometti lives with his wife Annette and also with his brother Diego at his studio which he also uses as a home. Giacometti also has a favorite muse whom he uses as a model and part time concubine who is the source of some tension in his home.

When the two days pass, Giacometti requests that the sittings with Lord continue for another week. Lord is busy and needs to return to his work back home, though the chance to have his portrait done by Giacometti entices him to stay. He delays his departure accordingly and puts off his writing assignments. Giacometti's progress on the portrait appears to move in starts and stops. Often he is in the habit of simply blanking out the face to start over again. Lord keeps making photos of the progress, but the progress often is stifled when Giacometti completely rethinks his approach and restarts the portrait from scratch.

Giacometti's relationship with his wife oscillates between genuinely caring for her while requiring that he also have the freedoms implied by having an open marriage. Annette is clearly disturbed by these vacillations in his affections and considers him to be niggardly in the affection which he shows her over the years. At one point she confronts him about being extravagant with his money when it comes to his models and courtesans, while at the same time being stingy about even buying her a coat. Annette reminds him that he has money now that he is a successful artist and insists on getting some attention. Giacometti goes into a rage and reminds her that he does have money and begins casually flinging stacks of bills at her for her new coat. The effect is counterproductive and his wife is still displeased with his keeping courtesans around his studio and in his home.

The progress on the portrait continues very slowly as one week passes into a second week and a third week. Giacometti decides that he will now purchase a convertible for his model courtesan as she has become his primary muse for his artistry. He and Lord and the courtesan go out for a night on the town once her convertible arrives and when they get home, Giacometti finds that his studio has been ransacked. He appears to know what has happened and tells Lord that he must go to sort this out the next day.

In the morning, Giacometti takes Lord with him to visit a local bar where he is to meet up with the male manager who is minding the affairs of Giacometti's favorite courtesan. Giacometti gladly pays him the "fees" which he requires for the services of the courtesan, and he pays for her services in advance. Both Giacometti and the manager are pleased with the arrangement and apparently Giacometti and his premises are to be left intact without further disruption in the coming months ahead. Lord is becoming concerned for the long delays with the portrait and tries to recruit Giacometti's brother to assist him in getting his brother to work a little faster, though his brother completely refuses to do anything like this knowing his brother's prickly temperament. As the portrait painting enter its final stages, Lord eventually departs for his office abroad and reflects on what to him was a first hand witnessed account of the artistic process of Giacometti's genius of artistry at work.

Cast

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Production

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On 2 February 2015 Geoffrey Rush joined the cast of the film.[2] On 13 May 2015 Armie Hammer joined the cast of the film.[3] On 12 February 2016 Tony Shalhoub, Clémence Poésy and Sylvie Testud joined the cast of the film.[4] Principal photography began on 15 February 2016.[5]

Release

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The film had its world premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on February 11, 2017.[6] Shortly after, Vertigo Releasing and Sony Pictures Classics acquired U.K. and U.S. distribution rights to the film, respectively.[7][8] It was released in the United Kingdom on August 18, 2017.[9]

The film had its American premiere at South by Southwest on March 9, 2018, and went into wider release on March 23, 2018.[10][11][12]

Reception

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Final Portrait received positive reviews from film critics. It holds a 73% approval rating on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, based on 131 reviews, and an average rating of 6.6/10. The website's critical consensus reads, ""Final Portrait finds writer-director Stanley Tucci patiently telling a quietly absorbing story, brought to life by a talented ensemble led by Geoffrey Rush and Armie Hammer.[13] On Metacritic, the film holds a rating of 70 out of 100, based on 32 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[14]

References

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  1. ^ "Final Portrait". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved February 28, 2018.
  2. ^ a b Jaafar, Ali (February 2, 2015). "Geoffrey Rush Sits For Stanley Tucci's 'Final Portrait'". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  3. ^ a b Jaafar, Ali (May 13, 2015). "Armie Hammer Joins 'Final Portrait' Movie Starring Geoffrey Rush". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  4. ^ a b c d McNary, Dave (February 12, 2012). "Tony Shalhoub, Clemence Poesy Join Stanley Tucci's 'Final Portrait'". Variety. Penske Business Media. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  5. ^ SSN Insider Staff (February 19, 2016). "On the Set for 2/19/16: Rian Johnson Rolls Cameras on 'Star Wars: Episode VIII', Chris Pratt & Zoe Saldana Start 'Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2'". SSN Insider. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2017.
  6. ^ "Film File: Final Portrait". Berlin International Film Festival. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  7. ^ Parfitt, Orlando (April 29, 2017). "Stanley Tucci's Giacometti biopic 'Final Portrait' gets UK deal". Screen Daily. Screen International. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  8. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 16, 2017). "Stanley Tucci's 'Final Portrait' Taken By Sony Pictures Classics – Cannes". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Business Media. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  9. ^ "Final Portrait". Launching Films. Film Distributors' Association. Retrieved May 29, 2017.
  10. ^ Galuppo, Mia (January 31, 2018). "SXSW: Emily Blunt's 'A Quiet Place' to Open Fest". The Hollywood Reporter. Prometheus Global Media. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  11. ^ "Final Portrait". SXSW Schedule. South by Southwest. Archived from the original on March 9, 2018. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  12. ^ Scherstuhl, Alan (March 20, 2018). "Stanley Tucci's Art Comedy 'Final Portrait' Asks, 'What If Inspiration Never Strikes?'". The Village Voice. Retrieved April 11, 2018.
  13. ^ "Final Portrait (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
  14. ^ "Final Portrait Reviews". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved May 12, 2020.
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