John Huston's portrait of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec is vivid, colorful and energetic when it shows the dance hall can-can atmosphere but lacks substance as a biography when it deals with the painter's personal life in detail. However, JOSE FERRER does splendidly as the crippled artist and others around him give individually fine performances.
The cinematography cannot be faulted, capturing the essence of the painter's art as closely as any poster art could do--and the film seems authentically immersed in period atmosphere and background. But the story is a sluggish one with a downbeat ending that concludes with the artist's death and despair--nothing uplifting about it--and the somber tones of the film are reflected in the sometimes low-key photography of interiors.
Worthwhile for Ferrer's Oscar-winning performance and a distinguished musical score--but a bit too downbeat for popular taste.
The cinematography cannot be faulted, capturing the essence of the painter's art as closely as any poster art could do--and the film seems authentically immersed in period atmosphere and background. But the story is a sluggish one with a downbeat ending that concludes with the artist's death and despair--nothing uplifting about it--and the somber tones of the film are reflected in the sometimes low-key photography of interiors.
Worthwhile for Ferrer's Oscar-winning performance and a distinguished musical score--but a bit too downbeat for popular taste.