Movies About Writers: Colette

A movie about writing is impossible, and a movie about a writer is almost worse, some form of unsatisfactory voyeurism. But still, there I go, watching movies about writers, even writers I don't care about. I have two books on our shelves by Colette, I have not been able to read much of either. I have Creatures Great and Small, which is a collection of dialogues between her cat and her dog about what they see of the human world. This seems like a slam dunk for me, but the book mark I found in my copy shows I made it 25 pages. I have no memory of even that many pages. There is another book of hers I have called Claudine's House that has a cover so unsettling, I am afraid to read it for fear that I will upset people walking by. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/images/1843914158/ref=dp_image_0?ie=UTF8&n=283155&s=books

I got a dvd from Netflix and the bonus material has this 30 minute film about Colette made for the French State Department back in 1951 or so. It's not bad. Maybe because its so short. There was a time near the end that I was hoping the details were not lying and this wasn't full length. How do you make writer's compelling to watch? Their job is to ignore the world and focus on the blank page (god I wish I didn't write that sentence, the blank page....oh how droll, how dripping with portent, bleh....)

The answer is have a vain writer of failing health talk from her bed. There was a good amount of shots of where she used to live and the photography and the narration are lovely. Makes you want to live in 1888 Provence. I liked how Colette said she didn't want the movie made because who wants to see what she looks like now. Of course, that comment was filmed, so of course Colette wanted to see herself filmed.

There was a strange conversation between her and a man who I found out was Jean Cocteau, where they talked about idleness and the way she made book writing look easy. It was an odd, stilted exchange. I didn't know what to make of it. My favorite part was Colette looking at the produce her maid brought in from the market. The Maid was obviously uncomfortable with the fakeness of the exchange being done for the camera, as she was leaving, she caught herself giggling and quickly left.

Here is a few minutes of the film, the quality is poor, the one I saw was much better preserved.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F452Uxq4_7Y&feature=related