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Children of the Century (2002)
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:41
Fresh:18
Rotten:23
Average Rating:5.3/10
Consensus: This romance is more soapy than historically compelling.
Runtime: 2 hrs 17 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: A sweepingly romantic and historic tale about two 19th-century writers and their trials in work, travel, and love, CHILDREN OF THE CENTURY is a daring period piece from director Diane Kurys. The... A sweepingly romantic and historic tale about two 19th-century writers and their trials in work, travel, and love, CHILDREN OF THE CENTURY is a daring period piece from director Diane Kurys. The love affair between George Sand (Juliette Binoche) and Alfred de Musset (Benoit Magimel) is brought to life in fits and bursts of creative impulses, passionate interludes, and emotional blowouts. Writers who met in 1833, Sand and de Musset were both well-established in their careers. Sand's feminism, masculine style of dress, and boldness rendered her works utterly readable for their controversy if not their quality. Likewise, de Musset's poetry was highly regarded in literary circles. Unfortunately, Sand was married (to Casimir Dudevant, who she left when she moved to Paris alone) with two children, and so her affair with de Musset--like her fierce independence, liberalism, and frequent romantic trysts--was considered a scandal. But as the story unfolds, Sand remains committed to de Musset even as his words and actions spin rapidly and frightfully out of control. CHILDREN OF THE CENTURY depicts an artistic bloom in Paris and Venice in the mid-1800s, colored by the changing hues of love and grief shared between these two major creative figures. [More]
Starring: Juliette Binoche, Benoit Magimel, Stefano Dionisi, Karin Viard
Starring: Juliette Binoche, Benoit Magimel, Stefano Dionisi, Karin Viard, Isabelle Carré, Patrick Chesnais, Arnaud Giovaninetti, Denis Podalydes, Michel Robin
Director: Diane Kurys
Director: Diane Kurys
Screenwriter: Francois-Olivier Rousseau, Murray Head, Diane Kurys
Producer: Alain Sarde, Diane Kurys
Composer: Luis Bacalov
Studio: Empire Pictures
Reviews for Children of the Century
Kurys seems intimidated by both her subject matter and the period trappings of this debut venture into the heritage business.
Whether [Binoche and Magimel] are being charming or angst-ridden, they easily fill their scenes and, fine judges both, never overcook the hysteria.
In between all the emotional seesawing, it's hard to figure the depth of these two literary figures, and even the times in which they lived. But they fascinate in their recklessness.
Is this love or is it masochism? Binoche makes it interesting trying to find out.
Benefits not only from Filac's cinematography but also from the two leads, whose chemistry is immediately apparent.
A bit of a downer and a little over-dramatic at times, but this is a beautiful film for people who like their romances to have that French realism.
The emotion is impressively true for being so hot-blooded, and both leads are up to the task.
While the production details are lavish, film has little insight into the historical period and its artists, particularly in how Sand developed a notorious reputation.
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