Watch Camille Claudel

Camille Claudel is a French historical fiction film about the life of the wife of the famous sculptor Auguste Rodin. Though Camille Claudel was famous in her own right as a sculptor, her work is often featured less prominently and often as Auguste Rodin’s work because she was treated with less regard and respect as a sculptor in that time, as all women were in any occupation in comparison to men during the 1800’s.

The film spans only part of the long, troubled life of Camille Claudel including only her famous relationship with Auguste Rodin. The film begins when Camille first meets Rodin in the 1880’s and recounts the trials and successes both Auguste and Camille face as they rise to fame together.

Although their fame continues, their romance begins to fade as Camille becomes suspicious of Auguste and discovers that he has been seeing another woman whom he has also fallen in love with. Auguste’s increasing pressure to produce and others' attempts to exploit his fame occupy his time and further distance him from Camille.

In addition to Auguste’s growing absence in her life and his consumption by fame, Camille has to face the stagnation of her fame and the insufficiency of her recognition as an artist simply because she is a woman, despite the fact that she has produced works that rival Auguste’s pieces in skill and artistry. This causes her to doubt the value of her work.

The unraveling of Camille’s relationship with Auguste and the injustice of her moderate fame in comparison to his creates a ballooning tumult of emotion inside her that threatens to burst into uninhibited madness.

The film is spoken in French and stars Isabelle Adjani as Camille Claudel and Gerard Depardieu as Auguste Rodin. When it was released, the film was nominated for two Academy Awards and received five Cesar Awards, including the Cesar Award for Best Film and the Cesar for Best Actress.

Camille Claudel is a 1988 drama with a runtime of 2 hours and 55 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.3.