Portrait of a Lady on Fire
{{short description|2019 French film by Céline Sciamma}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2020}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Portrait of a Lady on Fire
| image = Portrait of a Lady on Fire.jpg
| alt =
| caption = Festival de Cannes film poster
| native_name = {{Infobox name module|fr|Portrait de la jeune fille en feu|translation=Portrait of the Young Lady on Fire}}
| director = Céline Sciamma
| producer = Bénédicte Couvreur
| writer = Céline Sciamma
| starring = {{Plainlist|
}}
| music = {{Plainlist|
- Para One
- Arthur Simonini
}}
| cinematography = Claire Mathon
| editing = Julien Lacheray
| production_companies = {{Plainlist|
- Lilies Films
- Arte
- Hold Up Films
}}
| distributor = Pyramide Films
| released = {{film date|2019|5|19|Cannes|2019|9|18|France|df=yes}}
| country = France
| language = French
| budget = €4.86 million{{cite web|last1=Lemercier|first1=Fabien|title=Céline Sciamma finally in the Cannes competition with Portrait of a Lady on Fire|url=https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/371093/|website=Cineuropa|date=19 April 2019|access-date=18 January 2024|archive-date=18 January 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240118182630/https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/371093/|url-status=live}}
| gross = $10 million{{cite web |url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1325958657/ |title=Portrait of a Lady on Fire |website=Box Office Mojo |publisher=IMDbPro |date=2019 |access-date=24 September 2020 |archive-date=22 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210422195053/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/release/rl1325958657/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |url=https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Portrait-de-la-jeune-fille-en-feu-(France)#tab=summary |title=Portrait de la jeune fille en feu |website=The Numbers |publisher=Nash Information Services |date=2019 |access-date=15 March 2020 |archive-date=5 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190905074753/https://www.the-numbers.com/movie/Portrait-de-la-jeune-fille-en-feu-(France)#tab=summary |url-status=live }}
}}
Portrait of a Lady on Fire ({{langx|fr|Portrait de la jeune fille en feu|lit=Portrait of the Young Lady on Fire}}) is a 2019 French historical romantic drama film written and directed by Céline Sciamma, starring Noémie Merlant and Adèle Haenel. Set in France in the late 18th century, the film tells the story of a brief affair between two young women: an aristocrat and a painter commissioned to paint her portrait. It was Haenel's final film role before she retired from the French film industry in 2023.
Portrait of a Lady on Fire was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival.{{cite web|title=The 2019 Official Selection|url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/infos-communiques/communique/articles/the-2019-official-selection|website=Festival de Cannes|date=18 April 2019|access-date=9 May 2019|archive-date=16 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216055752/https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/infos-communiques/communique/articles/the-2019-official-selection|url-status=live}}{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/apr/18/cannes-festival-2019-full-list-of-films|title=Cannes festival 2019: full list of films|work=The Guardian|date=6 May 2019|access-date=18 April 2019|archive-date=8 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108002255/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/apr/18/cannes-festival-2019-full-list-of-films|url-status=live}} The film won the Queer Palm at Cannes, becoming the first film directed by a woman to win the award.{{cite news |last1=Richford |first1=Rhonda |title=Cannes: 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' Takes Queer Palm Prize |work=The Hollywood Reporter |date=24 May 2019 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cannes-portrait-de-la-jeune-fille-en-feu-takes-queer-palm-prize-1213514 |access-date=25 May 2019 |archive-date=22 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190622204734/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/cannes-portrait-de-la-jeune-fille-en-feu-takes-queer-palm-prize-1213514 |url-status=live }} Sciamma also won the award for Best Screenplay at Cannes.{{cite web |title=Portrait de la jeune fille en feu (Portrait of a Lady on Fire) |url=https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/festival/films/portrait-de-la-jeune-fille-en-feu |website=Festival de Cannes |date=2019 |access-date=27 May 2019 |archive-date=16 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191216060409/https://www.festival-cannes.com/en/festival/films/portrait-de-la-jeune-fille-en-feu |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine|last1=Debruge|first1=Peter|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/cannes-film-festival-2019-winners-1203225973/|title=Bong Joon-ho's 'Parasite' Wins the Palme d'Or at Cannes|magazine=Variety|date=25 May 2019|access-date=26 May 2019|archive-date=5 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190605043110/https://variety.com/2019/film/news/cannes-film-festival-2019-winners-1203225973/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last1=Pulver|first1=Andrew|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/25/bong-joon-hos-parasite-wins-palme-dor-at-cannes-film-festival|title=Bong Joon-ho's Parasite wins Palme d'Or at Cannes film festival|work=The Guardian|date=25 May 2019|access-date=26 May 2019|archive-date=5 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190605080921/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2019/may/25/bong-joon-hos-parasite-wins-palme-dor-at-cannes-film-festival|url-status=live}} The film was theatrically released in France on 18 September 2019.
It was nominated for Independent Spirit Awards, Critics' Choice Awards and Golden Globe Awards for Best Foreign Language Film and was chosen by the National Board of Review as one of the top five foreign language films of 2019. The film was one of three shortlisted by the French Ministry of Culture to be France's submission to the 92nd Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film.{{cite web |last1=Erbland |first1=Kate |title=France's Submission for the Best International Feature Film Oscar Could Be a Game-Changer |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/09/oscar-submission-france-international-film-2020-1202174271/ |website=Indiewire |access-date=8 January 2020 |date=18 September 2019 |archive-date=28 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228051414/https://www.indiewire.com/2019/09/oscar-submission-france-international-film-2020-1202174271/ |url-status=live }}{{cite web |last1=Sharf |first1=Zack |title='Portrait of a Lady on Fire' Loses Out on France's Oscar Pick to Ladj Ly's 'Les Miserables' |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/09/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-loses-france-oscar-pick-les-miserables-1202175146/ |publisher=Indiewire |access-date=8 January 2020 |date=20 September 2019 |archive-date=28 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228051421/https://www.indiewire.com/2019/09/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-loses-france-oscar-pick-les-miserables-1202175146/ |url-status=live }}
Portrait of a Lady on Fire was voted the 30th greatest film of all time in the Sight & Sound 2022 critics' poll.{{Cite web |last1=Vincendeau |first1=Ginette |title=Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019) |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/0e383416-f8ca-54f0-8626-6645a872cc20/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire |website=British Film Institute |date=1 December 2022 |access-date=12 December 2022 |url-status=live |archive-date=12 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221212105547/https://www.bfi.org.uk/film/0e383416-f8ca-54f0-8626-6645a872cc20/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire }}{{cite web |title=Revealed: the results of the 2022 Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time poll |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/news/revealed-results-2022-sight-sound-greatest-films-all-time-poll |website=British Film Institute |date=1 December 2022 |access-date=14 December 2022 |url-status=live |archive-date=13 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221213180641/https://www.bfi.org.uk/news/revealed-results-2022-sight-sound-greatest-films-all-time-poll }}{{cite news |last1=Ugwu |first1=Reggie |title=Chantal Akerman's 'Jeanne Dielman' Named Greatest Film of All Time in Sight and Sound Poll |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/01/movies/jeanne-dielman-greatest-film-of-all-time-sight-and-sound-poll.html |work=The New York Times |date=1 December 2022 |access-date=14 December 2022 |url-status=live |archive-date=1 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221201201633/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/12/01/movies/jeanne-dielman-greatest-film-of-all-time-sight-and-sound-poll.html }} It has also been considered to be one of the best films of 2019 and of all time.{{Cite web |author-first1=Jon |author-last1=Frosch |author-first2=David |author-last2=Rooney |author-first3=Sheri |author-last3=Linden |author-first4=Lovia |author-last4=Gyarkye |author-first5= Leslie |author-last5=Felperin |author-first6=Jordan |author-last6=Mintzer |date=6 April 2023 |title=Hollywood Reporter Critics Pick the 50 Best Films of the 21st Century (So Far) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/best-movies-21st-century/ |access-date=27 June 2023 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US |archive-date=18 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230618235113/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lists/best-movies-21st-century |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Sims |first=David |date=4 December 2019 |title=The Most Enthralling Movie of the Year |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/12/review-portrait-lady-fire-celine-sciamma/603010/ |access-date=27 June 2023 |website=The Atlantic |language=en |archive-date=18 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230618233238/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/12/review-portrait-lady-fire-celine-sciamma/603010/ |url-status=live }}{{cite news | url=https://www.marieclaire.com/culture/g2509/movies-to-watch-before-30/ | title=The 100 Best Movies of All Time: The Ultimate Must-Watch Films | magazine=Marie Claire | date=7 November 2023 | last1=Knappenberger | first1=Brooke | last2=LeGardye | first2=Quinci}}
Plot
At the end of the eighteenth century, Marianne, a painter, is teaching an art class in France. One of her female students asks her about a painting of hers, which Marianne calls Portrait de la jeune fille en feu.
Years previously, Marianne arrives on a distant island in Brittany. She has been commissioned to paint a portrait of a young woman of the gentry named Héloïse, who is to be married off to a Milanese nobleman. Marianne is informed by Héloïse's mother, the Countess, that she has previously refused to pose for portraits, as she does not want to be married; she had been living in a convent before the suicide of her older sister necessitated her return and her betrothal. Marianne acts as Héloïse's hired companion to be able to paint her in secret and accompanies her on daily walks along the rugged coastline to memorize Héloïse's features.
Marianne finishes the portrait, but finds herself unable to betray Héloïse's trust and reveals her true reason for arriving. After Héloïse criticises the painting, which does not seem to portray her true nature, Marianne destroys the work. After seeing the destroyed work, Marianne explains her actions to the Countess by saying that she can create a better painting. As the Countess is getting ready to fire Marianne, Héloïse says that she will pose for Marianne. The Countess is shocked to hear this and gives Marianne five days to complete the new portrait while she is away on the mainland. Marianne is haunted throughout the house by visions of Héloïse in a wedding dress. One evening, they read the story of Orpheus and Eurydice and debate the true reason why Orpheus turns around to look at his wife, causing her to be returned to the underworld, with Héloïse suggesting that Eurydice herself asked him to turn around (the story of Orpheus and Eurydice will go on to be mirrored in the relationship between these women throughout the film). Later, the two go to a bonfire gathering where women sing, during which Héloïse's dress briefly catches fire.
The next day, Marianne and Héloïse share their first kiss and have sex later that night. The pair spend the next few days together, during which their sexual relationship grows stronger, and they help Sophie, the housemaid who is pregnant, to get an abortion. With their sexual affair about to be cut short by the ensuing return of the Countess, Marianne sketches a drawing of Héloïse to remember her by, and Héloïse asks Marianne to draw a nude sketch of herself on page 28 of her book. The Countess approves of the now completed portrait, and the next morning Marianne bids farewell. As she is about to leave the house, she hears Héloïse say, "Turn around". She turns and sees Héloïse in her wedding dress.
In the present, Marianne reveals that she saw Héloïse two more times. The first was in the form of a portrait at an art exhibition, in which Héloïse, with a child beside her, is portrayed holding a book and surreptitiously revealing the edge of page 28. The second time was at a concert in Milan, where she notices Héloïse among the patrons seated in the balcony across the theater from her. Unobserved, Marianne watches as Héloïse is seen crying and smiling while listening to the orchestra playing the Presto from "Summer" in Vivaldi's Four Seasons, the music that Marianne had played for her on a harpsichord years before.
Cast
- Noémie Merlant as Marianne
- Adèle Haenel as Héloïse
- Luàna Bajrami as Sophie
- Valeria Golino as The Countess
- Christel Baras as The Abortionist
- Armande Boulanger as The Painting Student
Production
Principal photography began in October 2018{{cite news|title=Quiberon. Cinéma : Céline Sciamma et Adèle Haenel tournent sur la presqu'île|url=https://www.letelegramme.fr/morbihan/quiberon/quiberon-cinema-celine-sciamma-et-adele-haenel-tournent-sur-la-presqu-ile-24-10-2018-12115888.php|work=Le Télégramme|date=24 October 2018|access-date=15 December 2019|language=French|trans-title=Quiberon. Cinema: Céline Sciamma and Adèle Haenel shoot on the peninsula|archive-date=20 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190820223548/https://www.letelegramme.fr/morbihan/quiberon/quiberon-cinema-celine-sciamma-et-adele-haenel-tournent-sur-la-presqu-ile-24-10-2018-12115888.php|url-status=live}} and was completed after 38 days.{{cite news|last1=Leon|first1=Melissa|title=A Lesbian Movie Masterpiece That Explodes the Male Gaze|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-a-lesbian-movie-masterpiece-that-explodes-the-male-gaze|website=The Daily Beast|date=9 December 2019|access-date=15 December 2019|archive-date=9 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209100312/https://www.thedailybeast.com/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-a-lesbian-movie-masterpiece-that-explodes-the-male-gaze|url-status=live}} Filming took place in Saint-Pierre-Quiberon in Brittany and a château in La Chapelle-Gauthier, Seine-et-Marne.{{cite web|last1=Dutheil|first1=Marie-Charlotte|date=30 May 2019|title=La Chapelle-Gauthier : le château sous les feux de la rampe grâce au Festival de Cannes|url=http://www.leparisien.fr/seine-et-marne-77/la-chapelle-gauthier-le-chateau-sous-les-feux-de-la-rampe-grace-au-festival-de-cannes-30-05-2019-8083020.php|access-date=15 December 2019|website=Le Parisien|archive-date=15 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215205901/http://www.leparisien.fr/seine-et-marne-77/la-chapelle-gauthier-le-chateau-sous-les-feux-de-la-rampe-grace-au-festival-de-cannes-30-05-2019-8083020.php|url-status=live}} The film was produced by Lilies Films, Arte France Cinéma, and Hold Up Films.{{cite web |title=Portrait of a Lady on Fire |url=https://cineuropa.org/film/371001/ |publisher=Cineuropa |date=2019 |access-date=7 March 2021 |archive-date=7 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307004622/https://cineuropa.org/film/371001/ |url-status=live }}{{cite magazine |last1=Felperin |first1=Leslie |title='Portrait of a Lady on Fire' ('Portrait de la jeune fille en feu'): Film Review {{!}} Cannes 2019 |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/portrait-a-lady-fire-review-1212091 |magazine=The Hollywood Reporter |date=19 May 2019 |access-date=7 March 2021 |archive-date=7 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210307005730/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/portrait-a-lady-fire-review-1212091 |url-status=live }}
The paintings and sketches in the film were made by artist Hélène Delmaire. She painted for 16 hours every day during the course of filming, basing her painting on the blocking of the scenes. Her hands were also featured in the film.{{cite magazine |last1=Inoa |first1=Christopher L. |title=The Artist Behind the Paintings At the Heart of "Portrait of a Lady On Fire" |url=https://garage.vice.com/en_us/article/7x5nb4/the-artist-behind-the-portraits-at-the-heart-of-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire |magazine=Garage Magazine |date=24 November 2019 |access-date=26 November 2019 |archive-date=1 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201101090745/https://garage.vice.com/en_us/article/7x5nb4/the-artist-behind-the-portraits-at-the-heart-of-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire |url-status=dead }} To mark the release of the film in France, Delmaire's paintings from Portrait of a Lady on Fire were exhibited at the Galerie Joseph in Paris from 20 to 22 September 2019.{{Cite web|url=https://galeriejoseph.com/en/2019/10/02/paris-art-gallery-rental/|title=Paintings from the movie "Portrait of a Lady on Fire" at Galerie Joseph|date=2 October 2019|website=Galerie Joseph|language=en-US|access-date=15 January 2020|archive-date=15 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115180524/https://galeriejoseph.com/en/2019/10/02/paris-art-gallery-rental/|url-status=live}}
Soundtrack
Sciamma decided to do without a conventional score.{{cite web|last1=Dessum|first1=Matthew|title=What's the Deal with the Song at the Center of 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire'?|url=https://slate.com/culture/2019/12/portrait-lady-fire-celine-sciamma-music-song-score-para-one-arthur-simonini.html|website=Slate|date=10 December 2019|access-date=31 October 2021|archive-date=31 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031185954/https://slate.com/culture/2019/12/portrait-lady-fire-celine-sciamma-music-song-score-para-one-arthur-simonini.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last1=Johnson|first1=Ellen|title=Music's Visceral, Pivotal Role in 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire'|url=https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-review-bonfire-scene-mu/|website=Paste|date=27 February 2020|access-date=31 October 2021|archive-date=31 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211031231609/https://www.pastemagazine.com/music/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-review-bonfire-scene-mu/|url-status=live}} Instead, the soundtrack consists of an original single, {{lang|fr|La Jeune Fille en Feu}} (Literal translation 'The Young Lady on Fire'), by composers Para One and Arthur Simonini. The song—performed by Sequenza 9.3, with Catherine Simonpiétri conducting{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}—is scored for female choir a cappella and rhythmic clapping. According to Para One, although he and Simonini researched eighteenth century period music, they nonetheless recommended to Sciamma "a modern sound" inspired by György Ligeti's Requiem. Sciamma provided the lyrics: the (repeated) Latin phrase '{{lang|la|Non possunt fugere|italic=no}}' and coda '{{lang|la|Nos resurgemus|italic=no}}'—roughly translated as 'They cannot escape' and 'We rise', respectively.
In a review of the song for Slate, Matthew Dessum writes, "The parsimonious use of music in the rest of the film makes the [singing of {{lang|fr|La Jeune Fille en Feu}} during the] bonfire scene completely overwhelming for characters and audience alike, so intense that it is almost unbearable. The music is beautiful, it is transporting, it is {{em|rapturous}}". Writing in Paste, Ellen Johnson concurred: "It's utterly shocking to hear the strange chant after more than an hour of almost no music at all, but that's what makes it so timely ... [it's] a skin-tingling experience."
The film features Vivaldi's 3rd Movement ("Summer") Presto from "The Four Seasons" album by Italian Baroque orchestra La Serenissima.{{cite book|last1=Marcus |first1=Greil |title=More Real Life Rock: The Wilderness Years, 2014–2021 |date=2022 |page=[https://books.google.com/books?id=sCxpEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA258 258] |edition=1st |publisher=Yale University Press |location=New Haven, Connecticut |isbn=978-0300260984}}{{Cite tweet|author=La Serenissima |user=LaSerenissimaUK |number=1444772682273329154 |title=Our performance of #TheFourSeasons was chosen to frame the final scene of #portraitofaladyonfire - we will play the whole thing LIVE @ApexBuryStEds tomorrow night! |date=3 October 2021|access-date=5 November 2022}}
Release
On 22 August 2018, film distributor mk2 began the sale of international rights to the film, with Pyramide Films acquiring the distribution rights for France.{{cite web|last1=Goodfellow|first1=Melanie|title=mk2 launches sales on Céline Sciamma's 'Portrait of A Lady On Fire', Porumboiu's 'The Passenger' (exclusive)|url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/mk2-launches-sales-on-celine-sciammas-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-porumboius-the-passenger-exclusive/5132022.article|website=Screen Daily|date=28 August 2018|access-date=28 May 2019|archive-date=28 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190528192748/https://www.screendaily.com/news/mk2-launches-sales-on-celine-sciammas-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-porumboius-the-passenger-exclusive/5132022.article|url-status=live}} On 10 February 2019, Curzon Artificial Eye acquired the rights for the United Kingdom, Karma Films did so for Spain, Cinéart for Benelux, and Folkets Bio for Sweden.{{cite web|last1=Keslassy|first1=Elsa|title=mk2 Scores Major Deals Across Its EFM Slate (EXCLUSIVE)|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/mk2-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-celine-sciamma-efm-1203134657/|work=Variety|date=10 February 2019|access-date=28 May 2019|archive-date=8 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190608234335/https://variety.com/2019/film/news/mk2-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-celine-sciamma-efm-1203134657/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last1=Grater|first1=Tom|url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/cannes-competition-pair-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-the-whistlers-land-at-uks-curzon-exclusive/5138961.article|title=Cannes Competition pair 'Portrait Of A Lady On Fire', 'The Whistlers' land at UK's Curzon (exclusive)|website=Screen Daily|date=2 May 2019|access-date=7 May 2019|archive-date=2 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190502155132/https://www.screendaily.com/news/cannes-competition-pair-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-the-whistlers-land-at-uks-curzon-exclusive/5138961.article|url-status=live}} A few days after its premiere at Cannes, Neon and Hulu acquired North American distribution rights in a heated auction that also saw offers from Sony Pictures Classics and Netflix.{{cite web|last1=Barraclough|first1=Leo|title=Cannes: Neon, Hulu Acquire Celine Sciamma's 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire'|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/global/cannes-neon-hulu-celine-sciamma-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-1203223377/|work=Variety|date=22 May 2019|access-date=25 May 2019|archive-date=24 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524001427/https://variety.com/2019/film/global/cannes-neon-hulu-celine-sciamma-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-1203223377/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last1=Wiseman|first1=Andreas|title=NEON & Hulu Take North American Rights To Céline Sciamma's Palme d'Or Contender 'Portrait Of A Lady On Fire' — Cannes|url=https://deadline.com/2019/05/celine-sciamma-cannes-portrait-lady-fire-neon-hulu-1202619760/|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=22 May 2019|access-date=28 May 2019|archive-date=24 May 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190524172619/https://deadline.com/2019/05/celine-sciamma-cannes-portrait-lady-fire-neon-hulu-1202619760/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=NEON and Hulu pact to acquire Cannes title 'Portrait Of A Lady On Fire' after bidding war|website=Screen International|first=Tom|last=Grater|date=22 May 2019|access-date=13 July 2024|url=https://www.screendaily.com/news/neon-and-hulu-pact-to-acquire-cannes-title-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-after-bidding-war/5139828.article}}
Portrait of a Lady on Fire was released in France on 18 September 2019.{{cite web|title=Portrait de la jeune fille en feu|url=http://jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=19436|website=JP's Box-Office|date=2019|access-date=10 October 2019|language=fr|archive-date=20 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201020063338/http://jpbox-office.com/fichfilm.php?id=19436|url-status=live}} The film premiered theatrically in the United States as a limited release on 6 December 2019, followed by a wide release on 14 February 2020.{{cite web|last1=Erbland|first1=Kate|title='Portrait of a Lady on Fire' Announces New Release Plan With Hypnotic Teaser — Exclusive|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2019/11/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-release-plan-teaser-1202191303/|website=IndieWire|date=21 November 2019|access-date=2 December 2019|archive-date=2 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191202184123/https://www.indiewire.com/2019/11/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-release-plan-teaser-1202191303/|url-status=live}} It was released in the United Kingdom on 28 February 2020.{{cite news|last1=Loughrey|first1=Clarisse|title=Portrait of a Lady on Fire review, London Film Festival: A gorgeous study of two women in love, unbothered by the restrictions of men|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-review-cast-france-period-lesbian-drama-london-film-festival-a9148271.html|work=The Independent|date=9 October 2019|access-date=2 December 2019|archive-date=25 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225095108/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/reviews/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-review-cast-france-period-lesbian-drama-london-film-festival-a9148271.html|url-status=live}}
=Home media=
The DVD and Blu-ray for Zone 2 was released by Pyramide Video on 18 February 2020.{{cite web|title=Portrait de la jeune fille en feu (sous fourreau)|url=https://www.rdm-video.fr/film-dvd/V95317/portrait-de-la-jeune-fille-en-feu.html|website=RDM Vidéo|date=2020|access-date=26 May 2020|language=fr|archive-date=26 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526083313/https://www.rdm-video.fr/film-dvd/V95317/portrait-de-la-jeune-fille-en-feu.html|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last1=Lanoye|first1=Mickaël|title=Test Blu-ray : Portrait de la jeune fille en feu|url=https://www.critique-film.fr/test-blu-ray-portrait-de-la-jeune-fille-en-feu/|website=Critique-film|date=18 February 2020|access-date=26 May 2020|language=fr|archive-date=26 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526083333/https://www.critique-film.fr/test-blu-ray-portrait-de-la-jeune-fille-en-feu/|url-status=live}} The film was released as VOD on Hulu on 27 March 2020.{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-hulu-march-27-1203546000/|title='Portrait of a Lady on Fire' to Start Streaming on Hulu Friday|last=Aurthur|first=Kate|date=26 March 2020|access-date=24 April 2020|archive-date=2 April 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200402215723/https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-hulu-march-27-1203546000/|url-status=live}} The DVD for Region 1 and Blu-ray for Region A was released by The Criterion Collection on 23 June 2020.{{cite web|title=Portrait of a Lady on Fire|url=https://www.criterion.com/films/30469-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire|website=The Criterion Collection|date=2020|access-date=26 May 2020|archive-date=31 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200531052948/https://www.criterion.com/films/30469-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Portrait of a Lady on Fire DVD|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/Portrait-of-a-Lady-on-Fire-DVD/206743/|website=Blu-ray.com|date=2020|access-date=26 May 2020|archive-date=26 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526083740/https://www.blu-ray.com/dvd/Portrait-of-a-Lady-on-Fire-DVD/206743/|url-status=live}}{{cite web|title=Portrait of a Lady on Fire Blu-ray|url=https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Portrait-of-a-Lady-on-Fire-Blu-ray/258138/|website=Blu-ray.com|date=2020|access-date=26 May 2020|archive-date=26 May 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200526083759/https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Portrait-of-a-Lady-on-Fire-Blu-ray/258138/|url-status=live}}
Influences
Céline Sciamma says she wanted "to make a romance film with a totally new story", adding "there are a few films that are totally dedicated to love, so, often, those are biggest stories in cinema." Among her influences she cites Titanic, Mulholland Drive, Alfred Hitchcock, and Kubrick's Barry Lyndon for lighting with candles. She places the female gaze at the center of her film. She was also influenced by the character Ada in Jane Campion's film The Piano, who throws herself and her instrument into the water; in Sciamma's film, Marianne also throws herself into the water to rescue her painting materials that had been thrown overboard. The director says we can see the start of Portrait of a Lady on Fire as a continuation of Campion's film.{{Cite journal |date=September 2019 |title=Céline Sciamma: "Dicaprio est une icône lesbienne" |journal=So Film |volume=73}}
Reception
=Critical response=
Portrait of a Lady on Fire was the subject of broad acclaim. On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of {{RT data|score}} based on {{RT data|count}} reviews from critics, with an average rating of {{RT data|average}}. The website's critical consensus reads, "A singularly rich period piece, Portrait of a Lady on Fire finds stirring, thought-provoking drama within a powerfully acted romance."{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/portrait_of_a_lady_on_fire|title=Portrait of a Lady on Fire|website=Rotten Tomatoes|date=6 December 2019|publisher=Fandango|access-date={{RT data|access date}}|archive-date=15 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191215080848/https://rottentomatoes.com/m/portrait_of_a_lady_on_fire|url-status=live}} On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 95 out of 100, based on 48 critics, indicating "universal acclaim",{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire|title=Portrait of a Lady on Fire|website=Metacritic|publisher=CBS Interactive|date=2019|access-date=24 September 2020|archive-date=9 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209233651/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire|url-status=live}} and has been designated a Metacritic "Must See" movie. It is the second best reviewed film of 2019.{{cite web|last1=Dietz|first1=Jason|title=Parasite is the best-reviewed movie of 2019—probably *|url=https://www.metacritic.com/feature/best-movies-released-in-2019|website=Metacritic|publisher=CBS Interactive|date=6 January 2020|access-date=14 July 2020|archive-date=8 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200108120521/https://www.metacritic.com/feature/best-movies-released-in-2019|url-status=live}}{{cite web|last1=Dietz|first1=Jason|title=Best of 2019: Film Critic Top Ten Lists|url=https://www.metacritic.com/feature/critics-pick-top-10-best-movies-of-2019|website=Metacritic|date=5 December 2019|publisher=CBS Interactive|access-date=14 July 2020|archive-date=12 January 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200112201058/https://www.metacritic.com/feature/critics-pick-top-10-best-movies-of-2019|url-status=live}}
A. O. Scott of The New York Times wrote that Portrait of a Lady on Fire is a "subtle and thrilling love story, at once unsentimental in its realistic assessment of women's circumstances", describing the unfolding of Marianne and Héloïse's relationship as "less a chronicle of forbidden desire than an examination of how desire works" and "the dangerous, irresistible power of looking".{{cite news|last=Scott|first=A. O.|authorlink=A. O. Scott|title='Portrait of a Lady on Fire' Review: A Brush With Passion|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/movies/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-review.html|work=The New York Times|date=5 December 2019|access-date=14 July 2020|archive-date=22 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022014636/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/12/05/movies/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-review.html|url-status=live}} Mark Kermode from The Observer/The Guardian gave the film five stars and said it is "an intellectually erotic study of power and passion in which observed becomes observer, authored becomes author, returning time and again to a central question: 'If you look at me, who do I look at?', and described the unwanted pregnancy subplot as "confronting but also depicting a taboo subject and its representation, refusing to look away, finding strength in sorority."{{cite news|last=Kermode|first=Mark|title=Portrait of a Lady on Fire review – mesmerised by the female gaze|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/mar/01/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-review-celine-sciamma|work=The Observer/The Guardian|date=1 March 2020|access-date=14 July 2020|archive-date=1 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201092912/https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/mar/01/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-review-celine-sciamma|url-status=live}} In his review for Variety, Peter Debruge said about Sciamma as director and screenwriter: "Though this gorgeous, slow-burn lesbian romance works strongly enough on a surface level, one can hardly ignore the fact, as true then as it is now, that the world looks different when seen through a woman's eyes", describing the film as "rigorously scripted", and her approach "looking past surfaces in an attempt to capture deeper emotion".{{cite magazine|last=Debruge|first=Peter|title=Film Review: 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire'|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-review-1203220399/|magazine=Variety|date=19 May 2019|access-date=14 July 2020|archive-date=12 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112005222/https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-review-1203220399/|url-status=live}}
For The New Yorker, writer Rachel Syme said Portrait of a Lady on Fire thoroughly examines "the entanglements between artistic creation and burgeoning love, between memory and ambition and freedom. The film is about the erotic, electric connection between women when they find their desire for creative experience fulfilled in each other, but it is equally about the powers of art to validate, preserve, and console after a romance is over".{{Cite magazine |last=Syme |first=Rachel |date=4 March 2020 |title="Portrait of a Lady on Fire" Is More Than a "Manifesto on the Female Gaze" |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-is-more-than-a-manifesto-on-the-female-gaze |url-status=live |access-date=19 November 2021 |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |archive-date=29 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211129221854/https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-is-more-than-a-manifesto-on-the-female-gaze }}
The film was voted the 30th greatest film of all time in the Sight and Sound Greatest Films of All Time 2022, the highest of films released in the 2010s.
Accolades
See also
Notes
{{notelist}}
References
{{reflist}}
Further reading
- {{cite news|last1=Abraham|first1=Raphael|title=Céline Sciamma on defying convention with the all-female Portrait of a Lady on Fire|url=https://www.ft.com/content/288ce7fa-4cc6-11ea-95a0-43d18ec715f5|work=Financial Times|date=13 February 2020|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200215122043/https://www.ft.com/content/288ce7fa-4cc6-11ea-95a0-43d18ec715f5|archive-date=15 February 2020}}
- {{cite web|last1=Bianco|first1=Marcie|title=In "Portrait of a Lady on Fire," a feminist politics of love|url=https://womensmediacenter.com/news-features/in-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-a-feminist-politics-of-love|website=Women's Media Center|date=27 February 2020}}
- {{cite magazine|last1=Clements|first1=Sara|title='Portrait of a Lady on Fire' Star Noémie Merlant Discusses #MeToo and Playing a Woman Outside the Patriarchy|url=http://exclaim.ca/film/article/portrait_of_a_lady_on_fire_star_no_mie_merlant_discusses_metoo_and_playing_a_woman_outside_the_patriarchy|magazine=Exclaim!|date=13 February 2020}}
- {{cite web|last1=Fuller|first1=Graham|title=Portrait of a Lady on Fire review – love unshackled|url=https://theartsdesk.com/film/portrait-lady-fire-review-%E2%80%93-love-unshackled|website=The Arts Desk|date=28 February 2020}}
- {{cite magazine|last1=Giorgis|first1=Hannah|title=How Portrait of a Lady on Fire Subverts the Artist-Muse Relationship|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2019/12/portrait-lady-fire-complicating-muse/603340/|magazine=The Atlantic|date=11 December 2019}}
- {{cite web|last1=Grady|first1=Constance|title=The devastating detail hiding in the French grammar of Portrait of a Lady on Fire|url=https://www.vox.com/culture/2020/3/31/21200255/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-ending-explained-retourne-toi-tutoyer|website=Vox|date=31 March 2020}}
- {{cite web|last1=Handler|first1=Rachel|title=The Women Behind Portrait of a Lady on Fire Believe Their Movie Can Save the World|url=https://www.vulture.com/2020/02/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-q-and-a-cline-sciamma-adle-haenel.html|website=Vulture|date=14 February 2020}}
- {{cite news|last1=Harris|first1=Elizabeth A.|title=How 'Portrait of a Lady on Fire' Sees Power in Two Women in Love|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/02/13/movies/portrait-lady-fire-celine-sciamma.html|work=The New York Times|date=13 February 2020}}
- {{cite magazine|last1=Laffly|first1=Tomris|title='Portrait of a Lady on Fire' Cinematographer, Costume Designer on the 'Painterly' 18th-Century Look|url=https://variety.com/2020/artisans/production/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-costume-designer-cinematographer-1203508292/|magazine=Variety|date=21 February 2020}}
- {{cite web|last1=Scateni|first1=Serena|title=How Portrait of a Lady on Fire celebrates the female gaze|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/portrait-lady-fire-female-gaze|website=BFI|date=26 February 2020}}
- {{cite magazine|last1=Spies-Gans|first1=Paris A.|title="Don't Regret. Remember": Frictions of History and Gender in Céline Sciamma's "Portrait of a Lady on Fire"|url=https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/dont-regret-remember-frictions-of-history-and-gender-in-celine-sciammas-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire/|magazine=Los Angeles Review of Books|date=11 May 2020}}
- {{cite magazine|last1=Spivack|first1=Elana|title=The Two-Pronged Genius of "Portrait of a Lady on Fire's" Abortion Scene|url=https://www.bitchmedia.org/article/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fires-abortion-scene-was-radical|magazine=Bitch|date=26 March 2020}}
- {{cite news|last1=Tapponi|first1=Róisín|title=It's about time film began representing the lesbian gaze|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/feb/28/its-about-time-film-began-representing-the-lesbian-gaze-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire|work=The Guardian|date=28 February 2020}}
External links
- [http://distrib.pyramidefilms.com/pyramide-distribution-catalogue/portrait-de-la-jeune-fille-en-feu.html Portrait of a Lady on Fire] at Pyramide Films {{in lang|fr}}
- [https://mk2films.com/en/film/portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire/ Portrait of a Lady on Fire] at MK2 Films
- [https://cdn-media.festival-cannes.com/film_film/0001/68/a5cf51df5b91e7699f7f9f95a73623975dd9f1df.pdf Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019 Festival de Cannes Press Kit)]. Lilies Films, 17 pp {{in lang|en}}
- {{IMDb title}}
- {{Rotten Tomatoes}}
- [http://lumiere.obs.coe.int/web/film_info/?id=84499 Portrait de la jeune fille en feu] at Lumiere
- [https://www.unifrance.org/film/46803/portrait-de-la-jeune-fille-en-feu Portrait de la jeune fille en feu] at UniFrance
- [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/6991-portrait-of-a-lady-on-fire-daring-to-see Portrait of a Lady on Fire: Daring to See] an essay by Ela Bittencourt at the Criterion Collection
{{Céline Sciamma}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Portrait of a Lady on Fire
|list =
{{Dorian Award for LGBTQ Film of the Year}}
{{Dublin Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film}}
{{Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Film}}
{{Florida Film Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Language Film}}
{{Golden Hugo}}
{{London Film Critics Circle Award for Foreign Language Film of the Year}}
{{Queer Palm}}
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Portrait of a Lady on Fire}}
Category:2019 independent films
Category:2019 LGBTQ-related films
Category:2010s historical drama films
Category:2019 romantic drama films
Category:2010s French-language films
Category:2010s historical romance films
Category:French historical drama films
Category:French feminist films
Category:French independent films
Category:French LGBTQ-related films
Category:Lesbian-related films
Category:LGBTQ-related romantic drama films
Category:Films about abortion in France
Category:Films about fictional painters
Category:Films about infidelity
Category:Films set in the 1760s
Category:Films set in the 18th century
Category:Films set in Brittany
Category:Films directed by Céline Sciamma
Category:Films about women in France
Category:Films featuring a Best Actress Lumières Award–winning performance
Category:Films whose cinematographer won the Best Cinematography César Award