Stanely Tucci's Decade-Long Artistic endeavor - the Director's personal endeavor in filmmaking titled "Final Portrait"
In the heart of Paris, a unique friendship blossomed between American author James Lord and Swiss artist Alberto Giacometti. This friendship, which spanned over a decade, culminated in the creation of Giacometti's last portrait, a masterpiece that was later sold for over $20,000,000.
The story of this friendship and the creation of the portrait is the focus of the film 'Final Portrait', directed by Stanley Tucci. The film, adapted from James Lord's memoir 'A Giacometti Portrait', offers a nuanced and layered portrayal of Giacometti's life, his art, and the creative process.
Alberto Giacometti, born near the Italian border of Switzerland in 1901, achieved an international profile between 1948 and 1956, holding exhibitions in London, Paris, Zurich, and Basel. His work during this period, particularly his 'dark heads' series, cemented his place as a leading figure in contemporary art.
The film stars Geoffrey Rush as Alberto Giacometti, Armie Hammer as James Lord, Tony Shalhoub as a character based on Lord's friend Diego, and a cameo by the talented actor Stanley Tucci himself, playing the role of Giacometti in the moments he is painting Lord's portrait.
Armie Hammer was thrilled to be a part of the project, praising the script as 'incredible' and expressing his excitement to work with Geoffrey Rush and Tony Shalhoub. Tony Shalhoub, on the other hand, was drawn to the role due to the portrayal of Giacometti's struggles and self-doubt as an artist.
The film does not shy away from the messy and shabby aspects of Giacometti's atelier, providing an authentic glimpse into the creative process. It steers clear of the 'biopic of the great moments' approach, instead offering a more realistic and relatable portrayal of the artist's life.
The sitting for the portrait lasted for 18 sessions and took place over an intense period of time. During this time, Lord and Giacometti not only created the portrait, but also set the stage for Lord's memoir, 'A Giacometti Portrait', which he published in 1965, a year before Giacometti's death.
The film 'Final Portrait' is more than just a movie about art and artists; it is a comedy that finds its humor in the ordinary, banal aspects of the characters' lives. It is a movie that will appeal to both art students and general audiences, offering an insight into the nature of art, the creative process, and the humor and irony within that process.
James Lord, the American author made famous by his biographies of both Pablo Picasso and Alberto Giacometti, first met Giacometti in 1952 in Paris's Deux Magots café. Their friendship, which lasted until Giacometti's death in 1966, inspired Lord to write a full-biography of the artist, and in 1986, nearly 20 years after Giacometti's death, Lord published a lengthy biography praising the complicated artist.
Geoffrey Rush, who plays Giacometti in the film, found the script for 'Final Portrait' to be a 'gem' and was flattered by Stanley Tucci's invitation to play the role. Tony Shalhoub hopes that audiences will fall in love with Giacometti and his work, and take away an understanding of what true artistry is about and what artists go through.
In the film, Armie Hammer's character, James Lord, spends more time with Diego, Giacometti's assistant, than with Alberto, and their relationship is depicted as having a separate emotional life. The relationship between James Lord and Alberto Giacometti in the film is portrayed as a friendship, with James observing and writing about Giacometti and wanting to spend time with him.
Giacometti's subsequent works from 1936-1940 were primarily sculptures of the human head and sitter's gaze, based on models who he knew personally. His last portrait, of James Lord, was no exception. The film 'Final Portrait' offers a fascinating look into this period of Giacometti's life and work, providing a glimpse into the mind of an artist who was both complex and captivating.
