Art film on Monet at Harbor Theater

Sun, 12/30/2018 - 7:00am

Story Location:
185 Townsend Avenue
Boothbay Harbor, ME 04538
United States

“I, Claude Monet,” will be shown on Friday, Jan. 11 at 2 p.m. The film is the second of a series of six films from Exhibition on Screen (EOS), the British production company that works with top international museums and galleries to create films that immerse us in the life and work of famous artists.

The award-winning documentary, allows Monet to tell his own story, based on 3,000 surviving personal letters that reveal a tumultuous inner life and offer a complex portrait of one of the world’s most beloved artists.

The letters are brought to life by acclaimed British actor Henry Goodman, who narrates throughout the film. Many letters confront Monet’s despair and depression, but they also celebrate the joys of painting and the natural world, inspired by his travels across Europe.

In order to capture this euphoria, the cinematographers traveled to the very spots Monet painted and wrote his letters, from Paris to Venice, London to Le Havre.

More than 100 of Monet’s paintings are also featured in the film, providing a unique window into his emotional and creative life.

“I, Claude Monet” is directed by Phil Grabsky who said, “…when you carefully read the correspondence, travel back to the original locations and look hard at the paintings, a richer and more honest personality emerges. What comes across so forcefully is his passion, his endless searching and, yes, his genius.”

The Observer in London has called the film, “intense and intimate. A rare insight.”

Other films in the series include “Young Picasso” on Feb. 8, “Cezanne” on March 8, “Rembrandt” on April 12 and “Van Gogh and Japan” on June 7.

All films will be shown Friday at 2 p.m. Tickets are $10 for  non-members and $8 for members. For more information about membership, the theater and other upcoming films, visit www.boothbaycinema.org.

The Harbor Theater is located at 185 Townsend Avenue in Boothbay Harbor.