Montparnasse 19

The last year (1919-20) in the life of tubercular, alcoholic artist Amedeo Modigliani. Visually it's surprisingly bland - and what's the sense of making a film about a painter in b/w? - but Becker's humanism is unwavering, even when confronting such stereotypes as the rich American philistine or the uncomprehending working man. Creativity is viewed matter of factly, as an affair of sheer hard work. And while the scenes to do with Modigliani's string of selfless, supportive women tend to be repetitive and slightly irritating, they are redeemed by Lilli Palmer's performance as Manchester poet Beatrice Hastings and by the casting of the elegantly elongated Anouk Aimée, the perfect bride for a Modigliani. The project was initiated by Max Ophuls, then taken over by Becker when Ophuls died. The film was attacked by Ophuls' collaborator Henri Jeanson for its alterations to the original scenario, hence the absence of a writing credit.