Total Eclipse

 A sensationalized retelling of the Rimbaud-Verlaine story. The great French poet Arthur Rimbaud wrote all his poems, which continue to amaze and inspire to this day, during a brief burst of activity in the early 1870s, when he was just a teenager. According to Christopher Hampton's screenplay, it's amazing Rimbaud found time to write anything at all, since he was carrying on a torrid, absinthe-soaked homosexual love affair with the older and not quite so great poet Paul Verlaine. This affair ended when Verlaine shot Rimbaud in the hand in a Brussels hotel room. In this version of the story, it's also amazing that Rimbaud wanted to have anything to do with Verlaine, who is depicted as a utterly despicable human being.

Produced by: FIT Production / Postman Production / Capital Films / Fine

Line Features

Certification: USA:R / Italy:VM18

Language: English

Genre/keyword: Drama / biographical / gay / poetry

Runtime: USA:111

Sound Mix: Dolby Digital

Distributed by: Fine Line Features [us]

MPAA reasons: Rated R for strong sexuality and nudity, language, and

some startling violence.

Also Known As:

Rimbaud Verlaine (1997) (French title)

Directed by

Agnieszka Holland

Cast (in credits order)

Leonardo DiCaprio .... Arthur Rimbaud

David Thewlis .... Paul Verlaine

Romane Bohringer .... Mathilde Maute

Dominique Blanc .... Isabelle Rimbaud

Felicie Pasotti Cabarbaye .... Isabelle (as a child)