The renowned painter recalls episodes from his past while on his deathbed.
Chilean filmmaker Raúl Ruiz fled his homeland in the 1970s due to political upheaval, and over the next forty years became one of the great surrealists of European cinema, and certainly the most productive with over 100 films to his name.
Beginning in the 1990s Ruiz began working with international stars such as John Hurt, Catherine Deneuve, Marcello Mastroianni, John Malkovich and Isabelle Huppert, culminating in his all-star cast adaptation of Marcel Proust's Time Regained in 1999. This lead to Ruiz being approached by Austrian producers to direct a biopic of their fellow countryman Gustav Klimt.
Ruiz rewrote the existing screenplay to his own taste, with the assistance of writer Gilbert Adair (The Dreamers) and inspired by Viennese writer Arthur Schnitzler (Kubrick's Eyes Wide Shut). The script was translated from French to English (with some stops along the way into German), likely to make international sales easier, or perhaps because Ruiz was set on casting Malkovich in the lead role.
Also in the cast is Saffron Burrows (Troy, The Bank Job), Stephen Dillane (The Hours, Game Of Thrones), and Nikolai Kinski (son of notorious actor Klaus Kinski). Returning are Ruiz's most constant and essential collaborators, wife and editor Valeria Sarmiento and score composer Jorge Arriagada.
Ruiz's structure and approach is far from the standard biopic formula, the lines between memory and fantasy, past and present are often blurred in what is best described as a hallucinatory tapestry. More than examining the noteworthy markers of Klimt's life, Ruiz successfully conjures up the atmosphere of fin-de-siecle Europe, particularly the Vienna Secession artists' movement that Klimt was so instrumental in.
Before the film was released, the producer had over 30 minutes cut from Ruiz's original edit, and the reception was mixed. Outside of France, the full version has only been seen at film festivals.
Running time is approximately 2 hrs.
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