A review of the new film “Colette”
“I’ve been a fan of Keira Knightley since “Bend It Like Beckham” in 2002. She’s had her critics but she’s maturely nicely as an actress and, in the eponymous role, this is among her best work, together with films like “Atonement” and “The Duchess”.
Here she plays real-life writer Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette in late 19th century/early 20th century France who became a sensation once she broke free of the control of her older husband Henri Gauthier-Villars whose pen name was Willy (Dominic West in fine form). As a strong woman overtaking the lesser talent of her husband, the work echoes themes in recent movies “The Wife” and “A Star Is Born”, while this is a good time for lesbian relationships in mainstream films coming – forgive the pun – at about the same time as “Disobedience” and “The Favourite”.
Colette may be a French story but the director and co-writer is the British Wash Westmoreland who dedicated the film to his late partner Richard Glatzer who also worked on the script. Also much of what passes for France is in fact location shooting in Britain and Hungary. But then the British are rather good at making costume dramas and all round this is an enjoyable work that captures the modern zeitgeist of female empowerment.