Total Eclipse (1995)

At the same time that Leo DiCaprio was making a segue froma child actor who played on the last season of the 80's sitcom"Growing Pains" and doing TV commercials, he was stunning castingdirectors and industry insiders with his depth, range and fearlessnessbeyond his years to take on roles which set him apart from the pack andput him on the path for megastardom!There was the emotional tour de force of "This Boy's Life", which he starred inalongside Robert DeNiro and Ellen Barkin and held his own.Then there was the modern classics "What's Eating Gilbert Grape", "Basketball Diaries"and others, each which sent his career comet up further and further!But in 1995, around the same time as he was working on "Basketball Diaries",he took on the independent project which has become a cult favorite amonghis fans and garnered high acclaim among critics and other actors...."Total Eclipse".In it, he plays the paradigm-shifting 19th Century french poet Arthur Rimbaud,who between the ages of 16 and 21, set the established poetic world of learned,elitist, London and Paris literaries ablaze with his originality and lyrical genius!Young Leo captures this young rebel tortured genius poet who shuns social convention,mocks the bourgeois establishment, is crude, rude, and seems to respect nothingor anyone other than what appeals to his whims or emotions at the time.He was a complete extremist and libertine in every sense of the word.Upon coming to Paris in 1871, he engages in a passionate, elicit, ultimately doomedand scandalous homosexual affair with married man....the lesser talent writer,Paul Verlaine, played admirably by David Thewlis.Thewlis plays his character as a very torn, conflicted, dissatisfied,kept, married man who is a failed writer married to a "very patient"young wife, played well by Romaine Bohringer.Sullen, inwardly resentful and living under the tyranny of his overbearingfather-in-law, who is supporting both he and their daughter (his wife) andletting them live in his home, although making it very uncomfortable for Verlaine,he is seemingly given the kiss of life upon his aquaintance with the rougish Rimbaud.Their sexual chemistry is instantaneous and magnetic, as well as toxic!They become fast friends & confidants, then later, passionate lovers.DiCaprio shows you how fearless and deeply committed he is as an actorat this very young age and early stage in his career by jumping full throttleinto this role!--The sexual scenes between he and Thewlis are palpable!Verlaine is fascinated by Rimbaud's just-don't-give-a F attitude and his"seize the moment" nature, which will later backfire on him, but early inthe film, it seems like an intoxicating elixir of youth and possiblities,much more intoxicating than the absinthe cocktails that he and Rimbaud throwbackevery chance they get! (-: It was like the crack cocaine of it's day!They make ravenous love, drink, get high, shock & scandalize polite Paris society,and Verlaine, in an allebriated state, becomes very cruel to his wife and newborn child.I didn't understand his cruelty towards her, because she was very supportive.She notices that her husband and Rimbaud are in love, which was a crimepunishable by imprisonment at that time, and she does everything she can tokeep his interest. But what he and Rimbaud share is just too addictive for himto leave alone, and the two disappear across Europe, with Verlaine paying the way!Soon he begins to see Rimbaud's darkside, very mercurial and cruel mood-swings,and their relationship takes on an abusive tint. After a particularly brutalverbal fight, he leaves Rimbaud in London, but then takes him back a few days later.Their crazy self-destructive but passionate relationship continues to spiral downwards forVerlaine, whose wife finally gets tired of his disrespect and divorces him on chargesof immoral conduct and neglect. After his money runs out, so soon does Rimbaud follow.Rimbaud returns to his family in the countryside of northen France and completesone last literary masterwork before withdrawing from writing poetry altogetherat the age of 21. He says that he's said all he had to say.He travels abroad and winds up in Northern Africa, where he engages in heterosexualrelations with several native women, but one in particular who he claims as his mistress.As for Verlaine, he is not only left heart-broken, but near destitute.He turns himself over to authorities who subject him to a demoralizingphysical examination to see if he has been both a passive and active memberin homosexual activities or "buggery" as it was known back then.He is imprisoned for two years and upon his release, tries to find Rimbaudagain to hopefully reconnect their love, but to no avail because Rimbaud has moved on.Years pass and Rimbaud develops cancer in his leg, has it amputated, then diessoon after at the young age of 37 in 1891.But he put 85 years of life experience into that 37 years and his effecton those he left behind in his time, as well as in music, art and pop culture100-plus years into the future is immeasurable!The quintessential tortured anti-social self-destructive genius who walks to his own drummer.And many since have been lured by his strange lyrical rhythms and poeticvisuals that were far ahead of their time!His gift was apparently infinite in it's reach!This is a brilliant biopic and Leo DiCaprio and David Thewlis nailed it! 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As described

I Think this movie was amazing. For Instance It Shows How Love can be so tragic,and how life at most times could be unfair.I think Leonardo Dicaprio should have got an oscar for his performance in this movie. Because I Think This Was His Best Acting Performances other Than Gilbert Grape. The Cinematography in this movie was great it seemed to have the manet qualties in like the scene when leonardo passes by this gate which was in one of manet paintings with red haired women sitting down in front of the gate and a little girl looking behind the fence looking at smoke.This Movie Is A masterpiece and i cried in several scenes especially the end when he remebers when he asked him if he loved him and then stabbed him in the hand that to me is how love can sometimes be painful and traggic. I Truly Recommend This Movie

I don't know how this has the 3 stars/4-rating it has. It was laughably bad at many points in the movie.Bad acting. Bad writing. Bad directing. Granted that it's 11+ years old as of this writing, I can give the special FX some leeway, but that was bad as well. The premise is also a bit laughable. The ending is unsatisfying for some reason as well. Maybe because everything was just that bad that there's no way you can feel good about it.My favorite bad non-verbal acting moment (plenty of those) - when the sister is knocked out cold and is carried to a truck, but she maintains tension in her neck and doesn't let it hang slack like a passed out person would.

Leonardo DiCaprio and David Thewlis and Romane Bohringer sizzle. The Rimbaud/Verlaine poems are surreptiously kneaded into the dialogue with loving care. This movie still shocks people. Could such a time have existed? Could such people? Yes, darlings!..It's all true. Love how young Hollywood rose to the occassion during the 90's to make gay themed and sub-themed movies. You had Keanu Reeves,River Phoenix(My Own Private Idaho),Stephen Dorff(Backbeat,Cecil B Dementia,'Candy Darling' from I Shot Andy Warhol),Leonardo DiCaprio, even Johnny Depp did a John Waters'film Cry Baby. Matthew Broderick in Torch Song Triolgy. Russell Crowe in The Sum of Us. Seth Green and MaCaulay Culkin in Party Monster, just bliss. Ewan McGregor and Jonathan Rhys-Myers in Velvet Goldmine(also with a very hunky Christian Bales). Edward Furlong in J.Waters' Pecker. Steve Webber&Michael T Weiss in Jeffrey.Steve Buscemi in Parting Glances. Leo D. and Mark Wahlberg in Basketball Diaries. Jaye Davidson and Forest Whitaker in the Crying Game. What a golden era. Thank you all. Can't see it happening again soon. So,treasure these,forever.

All in all I didn't think it was bad for a low budget disaster film. The worst part was the woman and her daughter. Talk about bad acting and badly scripted scenes. Irritating to say the least.

This film is BEAUTIFUL! When I first saw this film I felt very impressed. Great story about the two poets and their journey through life together with open minds. I really have a taste bud for films just like this one. Gay love, heartbreak, pressure filled drama to keep the love they develop and progress. What once was true in society then still contains a few of the same elements that gay individuals have to deal with today anywhere. This film is one I will adore and cherish for the rest of my time. I contain a very passionate love for this film. It is so very VERY good. Applause with tears of joy for this film. Strong recommendation to get this film.