Total Eclipse (film)

:For other works by this name, see Total Eclipse.

Story

The film starts out with Paul Verlaine meeting Rimbaud's sister in a French cafe. Rimbaud's sister and mother want Verlaine to hand over any copies he has of Rimbaud writings so that they can burn his lewd writings. The film is thus told in an extended flashback as Verlaine reflects on the wild and abusive relationship he had with Rimbaud. The sister then speaks of her brother's final years.

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When Verlaine reads some poetry by the teenage Rimbaud, he is instantly taken with him and invites him to his upper middle class father-in-law's home. There, Rimbaud displays no sense of manners or decency whatsoever, but Verlaine remains attracted to Rimbaud's physical body and the possibility to work with such a talented poet, whose decadent writing allows him to escape nineteenth century middle class respectability. Verlaine agrees to financially support Rimbaud, and Rimbaud in turn agrees to be his lover and teacher. The two men spend the evenings hanging out at middle class poet gatherings, drinking, and then returning to a small apartment to write, smoke pot and make love.

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Rimbaud acts cruely to Verlaine, as does Verlaine to his pregnant wife. The years of cruel practical jokes, partying, traveling across Europe, writing poetry, and Verlaine switching from Rimbaud's bed to his wife's bed and then back again eventually comes to an end. Finally unable to withstand the emotional abuse, Verlaine leaves Rimbaud in London and returns to middle class respectability and his wife. However, Verlain still loves Rimbaud and a final meeting between the two men in Brussels ends in violence when a upset and drunken Verlaine shoots Rimbaud in the wrist and is sentenced to prison (the film is not clear if he is sentenced for prison for homosexuality or the attempted murder).

Related Topics:
Brussels - Homosexuality - Attempted murder

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In prison Verlaine converts to Christianity and upon release meets Rimbaud in the Black Forest and seeks to rekindle the romance, but is unable to persuade Rimbaud that they can live happily ever after together in America. The two men depart, never to see each other again. However, the film does not end there.

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While Verlaine was in prison, Rimbaud goes off on his own to travel the world, including being the first white man to visit Abyssinia (modern day Ethiopia) to run a trading post (that the film neglects to mention involved selling guns and possibly human slaves) where he writes (there is some dispute if he was still writing at the time) and has sex with an African woman until a tumor in his leg forces him to be taken back to France where his leg has to be amputated. However, the cancer spreads and thus he spends his days on his sister's and mother's farm.

Related Topics:
Abyssinia - Ethiopia - Tumor

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He dies on 10 November, 1891.

Related Topics:
10 November - 1891

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After the flashbacks are finished, the film returns to the cafe (the film ignores what Verlaine had been doing with his life from 1873 - 1896) Rimbaud's sister asserts that her brother accepted Jesus as his personal saviour right before before he died and thus would want his sister and mother to publish a censored version of his writings and divorce his legacy from the decadent movement. Yet, Verlaine (who is dying of a tumor) feels that Rimbaud would have wanted all his writings published and secretly decides to do so in order to inspire future generations, and out of devotion to his one true love: Rimbaud. While drinking absinthe Verlaine has a hallucination that Rimbaud has returned from the dead to express his love and respect for him.

Related Topics:
Jesus - Personal saviour - Censored - Decadent - Absinthe

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