Surviving Picasso

Updated June 26, 2020 | Infoplease Staff

The Merchant-Ivory-Jhabvala team, known for beautifully and accurately portraying the affairs of the privileged but repressed class, deliver what we've come to expect from them: a sprawling, reserved, emotional film that captures the artist's elegant milieu. But they fail to make the most of Picasso's fiercely sexual, egomaniacal inner self. Surviving Picasso focuses on the 10-year relationship between Picasso and Françoise Gilot (McElhone), a beautiful aspiring artist 40 years younger than the master. Gilot maintains her strength and dignity in the face of Picasso's philandering and manipulation. Hopkins plays the cold, brooding artist to perfection.