..on nearly nothing political these days, but we are absolutely 100% connected on this film, as we both had "mentor" typ
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Archived from the IMDb Discussion Forums — Total Eclipse
AnotherCineFan — 14 years ago(April 29, 2011 12:40 AM)
..on nearly nothing political these days, but we are absolutely 100% connected on this film, as we both had "mentor" type relationships with younger men over a couple of decades. He'd never seen the film. I sent him the DVD and he loved it. It reminded him of loves lost, as it did for me.
Why did Rimbaud abandon Verlaine? Anyone who has real knowledge of age-disparate male relationships will immediately recognize that the younger man is still growing, and his interests will change over time, even if the older man grows more infatuated and fixated on the younger. You see this also in "Wilde", another delicious film that fictionalizes a true story. It's also interesting to note that both Wilde and Verlaine were married. Was this a requirement of their social position, or genuine love for their wives? They obviously liked younger men, too. Bisexuality has always been the easiest way to be gay.
This film was a dandy, one of my favorites, I watch it every couple of years just to remind me that Leonardo is a LOT older now -
archer6749 — 14 years ago(December 02, 2011 07:37 PM)
Rimbaud had this feeling more of a partnership with the poetry only when it came to Verlaine. However, Verlaine didn't seem to feel the same and became in love with Rimbaud. Once Rimbaud realized this he at first tried to embrace it but in the end it was obvious that the relationship between him and Verlaine would never work, if it did in the first place and he eventually needed to find other goals for his life to be set on that Verlaine just didn't seem to fit into
Proud Leo fan since 1993
leofans.webs.com -
Aulic Exclusiva — 11 years ago(April 01, 2015 03:33 PM)
Paul Verlaine came from a middle class family and longed furiously for the totally transgressive experience that the mad 17-year-old Rimbaud symbolised. But he could never enter into its real radicalist dimension, even after he set his wife on fire and took a shot at Rimbaud.
Nobody knows what Rimbaud wanted. Whatever it was, Verlaine couldn't give it to him.
We only have Rimbaud's poetry because Verlaine saved it and published it. Rimbaud's sister wanted to burn it all.
Scostatevi profani! Melpomene son io