Modigliani (film) Modigliani is a 2004 semi-biographical film of the Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani.
Plot
Set in Paris in 1919, biopic centers on the life of Italian artist Amedeo Modigliani, focusing on his last days as well as his rivalry with Pablo Picasso. Modigliani, an Italian Jew living in Paris, has fallen in love with Jeanne, a young and beautiful French Catholic girl. The couple has an illegitimate child, and Jeanne's bigoted father sends the baby to a faraway convent to be raised by nuns. Modigliani is distraught and needs money to rescue and raise his child. The answer arrives in the shape of Paris' annual art competition. Prize money and a guaranteed career await the winner.
Neither Modigliani, nor his dearest friend and rival Picasso have ever entered the competition, believing that it is beneath true artists like themselves. But push comes to shove with the welfare of his child on the line, and Modigliani signs up for the competition in a drunken and drug-induced tirade.
Picasso follows suit and all of Paris is aflutter with excitement at who will win. With the balance of his relationship with Jeanne on the line, Modigliani tackles this work with the hopes of creating a masterpiece, and knows that all the artists of Paris are doing the same. Once completed he calls his dearest friend to take the painting to the competition and to make sure no one touches it. While his friend is taking the painting, Modigliani is at City Hall waiting for him to get legally married with Jeanne. After being the last person to leave, he decides to celebrate with a one drink. Unfortunately his drinking habit made him drink a couple more than expected.
The competition was going to start at eight o'clock, and when he realizes he is late he leaves without paying. Two guys that work for the bar follow him and assault him, once they found no money they left him in floor half dead. He wasn't able to celebrate his victory, but when he arrived home Jeanne took care of him, but then his artist friends came and took him to the hospital. He dies later on and Jeanne commits suicide.
Cast
Andy García was chosen for the lead. His chief love interest Jeanne Hébuterne is played by Elsa Zylberstein. Modigliani's rival, Pablo Picasso, is portrayed by Omid Djalili.
Hippolyte Girardot ... Maurice Utrillo
Eva Herzigova ... Olga Khokhlova (Picasso's wife)
Udo Kier ... Max Jacob
Susie Amy ... Beatrice Hastings
Peter Capaldi ... Jean Cocteau
Louis Hilyer ... Léopold Zborowski
Stevan Rimkus ... Chaim Soutine
Dan Astileanu ... Diego Rivera
George Ivascu ... Moise Kisling
Michelle Newell ... Eudoxie Hébuterne
Frederico Ambrosino ... Little Dedo
Miriam Margolyes ... Gertrude Stein
![](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/Ns58H671Yoo/mqdefault.jpg)