Total Eclipse

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Total Eclipse

R

1995

1h 50m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

22%

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18 Reviews

60%

Popcornmeter

5,000+ Ratings

Youthful poet Paul Verlaine (David Thewlis) drinks absinthe and neglects his devoted wife, Mathilde (Romane Bohringer). Arthur Rimbaud (Leonardo DiCaprio), an even younger and more celebrated poet, enters their lives and alienates the couple even further, seducing Paul and haughtily mocking their bourgeois lifestyle even as he benefits from it. Mathilde stands by Paul after he is jailed for sodomy, but she cannot prevent the poets' self-destructive descent.

Anthony Puccinelli

Chicago Reader

Ironically the film’s failure as a work of art about artists may be what helps it succeed as a trashy guilty pleasure...

Rated: 1/4

Jun 7, 2022

Full Review

Ed Gonzalez

Slant Magazine

Despite its fascinating subject matter, Total Eclipse is both unflattering and loveless.

Rated: 2/4

Jul 31, 2003

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Marjorie Baumgarten

Austin Chronicle

Rated: 3/5

Jan 1, 2000

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Rob Gonsalves

Rob's Movie Vault

“The unbearable thing,” muses Rimbaud, “is that nothing is unbearable.” Obviously he hadn’t seen this movie.

Rated: D

Sep 1, 2022

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Emanuel Levy

EmanuelLevy.Com

A misguided project from Holland: Watching Verlaine and Rimbeau engage in endless arguments about the nature of love, you wonder when they had time to create the poetry that revolutionized the world.

Rated: C

Jan 9, 2007

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Thomas Delapa

Boulder Weekly

Rated: 2/5

Apr 28, 2005

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Julian S

An unpleasant film that leaves little to enjoy—even dedicated DiCaprio fans might want to pass.

Rated 1.5 out of 5 stars

12/23/24

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Mateescu E

It was pretty intresting but a little chaotic

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

08/04/23

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Linkle H

Just read my review here I'm tired of getting "can't submit" on every site I go to. https://linklethehistorian.tumblr.com/post/721180096709443584/total-eclipse-1995-a-movie-review-by

Rated 3 out of 5 stars

07/01/23

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Audience Member

Family-friendly movie my kids loved it, the two of them are 3 and 5. they said it really inspired them and they started writing poetry and quite frankly, they are pretty good!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

01/18/23

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Audience Member

Expectations were completely overpass. Incredible performances!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

02/21/23

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Audience Member

Tremendous, passionate, wrenching movie about an amazing poet and his life and loves. I feel so lucky to have stumbled across it in a video rental store...and now it is so hard to find.

Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars

02/10/23

Full Review

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Agnieszka Holland

Director

Leonardo DiCaprio

Arthur Rimbaud

David Thewlis

Paul Verlaine

Romane Bohringer

Mathilde Maute

Dominique Blanc

Isabelle Rimbaud

Félicie Pasotti

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Synopsis

Youthful poet Paul Verlaine (David Thewlis) drinks absinthe and neglects his devoted wife, Mathilde (Romane Bohringer). Arthur Rimbaud (Leonardo DiCaprio), an even younger and more celebrated poet, enters their lives and alienates the couple even further, seducing Paul and haughtily mocking their bourgeois lifestyle even as he benefits from it. Mathilde stands by Paul after he is jailed for sodomy, but she cannot prevent the poets' self-destructive descent.

Director: Agnieszka Holland
Producer: Ramsay Levi
Rating: R
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (DVD): Dec 21, 1999
Box Office (Gross USA): $339.9K
Runtime: 1h 50m
Sound Mix: Surround