Madeline
If you read about Portrait of a Lady on Fire or watch the trailer, it screams of a love story between two women and the stigma that comes behind it during this time period. And although, yes, this is part of the the second half of Portrait of a Lady On Fire, it is so much more than that. It is about their relationship and how it started from hate and grew into appreciation of one another. It seems as though the reason why this movie is longer than two hours is they only tolerate each other for the first hour. The makers had to make sure the audience is aware of where their relationship starts. It is not until an hour into the movie you start to see the spark between them.
The Bechdel Test in Portrait of a Lady on Fire
The movie is filled with subject that cause it to pass the Bechdel Test with flying colors. For those who are not aware of this test, this is a “test” that “checks” the female equality in a story line. The general test asks if 1. there are two female characters 2. if they have names and 3. that talk about something other than a man. The story is about three women. Check. Named Heloise, Marianne, and Sofie. Check. And they talk about pretty much anything except the occasional mention of force marriage. And check. The Bechdel test is the best of the chick flick type of films.
The Premise of Portrait of a Lady on Fire
In France in 1760, Heloise is to marry a man in Milan, Italy. But before this can happen, she needs to ship off a wedding portrait to her soon to be husband to prove she is an attractive women. This is where Marianne comes in. She is commissioned by Heloise’s mother to observe Heloise and paint her portrait without her knowing. Through the painting project they get closer and closer. And the product is not the portrait she was commissioned to make but a portrait of a lady on fire, hence the name of the movie.
Final Thoughts
The imagery in this movie is so great. So many times I found myself noticing little details and the more I noticed, the more I payed attention to all the additional details. Just like how Marianne spreads Heloise’s dress in a certain way or places her hands in a specific manor, every single detail is so deliberate. And when they are looking across the fire at each other, the embers floating in the air appear when the camera is focused on Heloise (the girl on fire) but not Marianne. Every detail and decision made is so intentional.
