| The Impressionists | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Docudrama |
| Written by | Sarah Woods Colin Swash |
| Directed by | Tim Dunn |
| Starring | Richard Armitage Charlie Condou Aidan Gillett Julian Glover Andrew Havill Will Keen Michael Muller |
| No. of episodes | 3 |
| Production | |
| Producer | Mary Downes |
| Editor | Andrea Carnevali |
| Original release | |
| Network | BBC |
| Release | 30 April (2006-04-30) – 14 May 2006 (2006-05-14) |
The Impressionists is a 2006 three-part factualdocudrama produced by theBBC, which reconstructs the origins of theImpressionist art movement.[1] The script was "based on archive letters, records and interviews from the time",[2] and portrays paintersClaude Monet,Édouard Manet, andFrédéric Bazille as young idealists taking on the Paris art establishment.[3]
The series featuresJulian Glover as OldClaude Monet, whileRichard Armitage plays Young Claude Monet in flashbacks.[2] The first episode focused on Monet's memories of fellow artistsÉdouard Manet andPaul Cézanne.[4]
The programme was shot on location inProvence andNormandy, atClaude Monet's home and garden atGiverny and at locations in the UK.[5]
A review inThe Independent on Sunday said that "The Impressionists felt about as authentically French as one of those Croissant Express stalls atEuston Station."[6] On the positive side, it called outCharlie Condou for giving "a super performance as a cheeky, daft-as-a-bruthRenoir" in the first episode, and "a few stunningSunday in the Park with George moments moments when paintings bloom into life."[6]
The Scotsman gaveThe Impressionists a more favourable review, saying it "makes for suitably breezy viewing...Art history was never this interesting and it's the personal dramas that capture the imagination."[3] At the same time, it acknowledged that the show was "overdoing it with its sunny disposition" at times, pointing out that "being homeless and starving can't really have been as much fun as Monet, Renoir and co make it look".[3]
Reviews inThe Sunday Telegraph andNew Statesman were critical and ridiculed the dialogue, which included lines such as "This is Paris and it's 1862."[7][2]
