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1. April Blackwill 01.16.20 / 9am

   A beautiful review that very nicely portrays the movie objective.
2. Sofia Braid 07.18.20 / 10pm

   I also loved Portrait of a Lady on Fire. It’s such a quiet movie dialogue wise with a slow narrative, but it doesn’t really matter because of how much is said just through the looking. I think, like you said, that the cinematography is able to capture their freedom in wide shots and their intimacy in close-ups so, so well. The female gaze is such an important theme in this film both behind the camera and in front of it. Every shot is composed like a piece of art that I could have stared at for ages and although Marianne’s painting sessions with Heloise is inherently sensual, the scenes are never sexualized.
3. Ariana Fernandez 10.14.20 / 8am

   Portrait of a lady on Fire is a very powerful film. It is beautiful aesthetically, i agree with this review where it says that the cinematographer Claire Mathon knew how to arrange the scenes so it became more intense and meaningful. For example when they are outside the shots are wide angle so the whole setting is exposed (i.e Heloise at the beach looking at the ocean) this scene remind me of the painting “Wanderer above the sea of Fog” by David Friederich which evokes self reflection and contemplation, maybe because she is going to be painted by “a painter” that makes her feel confident enough. Moreover, there is a lot of drama and intense staring but little background music and movement in the scene where Marianne tells Heloise her personal traits such as biting her lips when she’s embarrassed and not blinking when she’s annoyed. Heloise’s upper body is in focus while Marianne talks and is also filmed but with a close up of her face. While heloise listens she stays still as if she was already a portrait, painted on a canvas. Once Marianne makes Hleoise feel exposed she realizes that she has gotten intimate with her and now she feels ready to paint her. This gives life to the portrait itself. There is a lot of passion for art but also love and attraction, very vague concepts that can take many forms. For example the love between two women.
4. Mickinzy Seneff 10.16.20 / 11pm

   Portrait of a Lady on Fire is one of my favorite movies. It was accurate to the setting, and the cinematography is stunning. As the movie continues, their relationship progresses, and the scenes heighten. It became more intense as time went on and displayed a secret relationship and a budding friendship. The ending is heart breaking, beautiful, and intense. Marianne seeing Heloise for the first time, the painting of Heloise at the gallery, the portrait of the lady on fire, it all composed an ending so beautiful and artistic.
5. Emma Brinser 10.18.20 / 8pm

   This was a lovely review of this beautiful film! I agree that the cinematography in this film really brings the characters to life within the very minimal action of each scene. Every subtle nuance in facial expression, body language, and communication stands out, and the very fact that the viewer knows that Marianne must secretly paint Heloise makes the viewer even more aware of these subtleties. The gaze is such a powerful aspect of taking meaning from this film, and especially the female gaze, which isn’t brought out as often in contemporary films. The feminist and female-centered messages of this film set it apart from most films I have seen. I too appreciated that the lesbian romance was not oversexualized, as many films tend to do; the realistic female gaze remained in its full power even within the romantic relationship, and was not diminished, but became even more multifaceted, through the development of both women’s platonic friendship with the maid. Overall a beautiful film, and I think this review sums it up really nicely.
6. Kennedy Schreiter 11.19.20 / 5pm

   Wonderful job reviewing this gorgeous film! I appreciated your analysis of the cinematography in relation to the form, as I feel as though it perfectly captured the simplicity of the mise-en-scene while simultaneously adding an element of visual complexity through the camera movement and angles. Additionally, the cinematography contributed a great deal to the movie narratively. Even though there is little dialogue, the camera captures facial expressions and movements that are worth a thousand words, very much encapsulating the theme of the female gaze. Every scene is like a new portrait and the use of close-ups and wide angles, as you mentioned, provided so much narrative insight where dialogue almost wasn’t even necessary. This was such a beautifully heartbreaking film.
7. Madelyn Sedghyar 03.04.21 / 4pm

   This was such a beautifully written review of this incredible movie. After watching this film, it easily became one of my favorite movies to this day. I agree that the cinematography in this film really brings out the characters emotions and the whole well-being. The close up and wide shots of the characters capture the inner lives of the characters, just as you said. Every emotion, facial expression, pose, gaze upon one another, brings out their characteristics even more, which adds a lot to this movie since they don’t talk as much. Each event and emotion is truly captured by the cinematography, it was a beautifully film, and a beautiful review. Thank you!
8. Isabella Westrich 03.25.21 / 7pm

   I am so glad that you started the review with a comment about the cinematography and the female gaze, because that is what caught my eye when I was watching the film. I think that a lot of this film relies on the eyes, both in the subject of the film, as well as in the way that the film was shot. In a painting so much emotion is expressed through the eyes, and in this film the characters communicate a lot with their eyes. As far as camera work goes, they were able to get shots throughout the film focusing on the eyeline of the characters. As the two protagonists become closer and enjoy each other’s company more and more, their eyelines start to match up more and more. I think that this is such a beautiful yet subtle way to demonstrate the relationship between two characters.
9. amahirani orozco 03.27.21 / 12am

   This was a very well done review I especially liked your observation about how the film was filmed through the female gaze which also subsequently related to your point about how during these intimate moments between Heloise and Marianne the scenes weren’t oversexualized like in normal french films. I believe that this was due to the fact that it was indeed filmed through this female perspective not the male’s which is the one we usually see in traditional films. That’s also what made this piece even more outstanding. It diverged from the classical hollywood narrative that we see repeated so often.
10. Maile Turner 06.05.21 / 2pm

    I really enjoyed this review of the Portrait of The Lady on Fire. They loved how the author analyzed the framing of the outside scenes and connected that to the idea of conformity and freedom. I say this throughout the film as well and thought it was a clever way for the directory to incorporate the idea into the film. I also think it added the ideas of freedom to the mise-en-scène. I like how this author brought up the idea that the static, portrait painting scenes actually had a lot of life to them. I felt that these scenes helped the two main characters get closer and solidify their bond. Even though not much occurred in these scenes, the use of eye contact, close-up shots, and body language contributed to the energy between the women. Overall, this review was beautifully written and had many amazing ideas in it!
11. Brayden Melvin 06.05.21 / 7pm

    Portrait of a Lady on fire was a beautiful film. You pointed put how it was never too sexual, and it’s true. Sex is left off screen and we’re left to see the two before and after. Between them in each other’s arms, or the drawn out shots of them long staring, more emotion is shown than sex could ever. I like the comparison of outside and freedom. When Héloïse and Marianne take their first walk and Héloïse sprints towards the cliff and says “I’ve dreamt of that for years”, when referring to running, it shows how controlled her life is to dream of something so small. Outside she gets to be free and the framing does capture that. Each shot could be a painting of it’s own, and that style fits this film.
12. Iliana Renteria 11.12.21 / 10am

    As I watched Portrait of a Lady on Fire I found myself falling in love with the film as well. The relationship between Heloise and Marianne is never overly sexualized. There is never onscreen sex scene, which has become so common in films that feature a lesbian romance. The movie was told through the lens of the female gaze. The moments when the two women would lock eyes or even slightly touch each other felt so incredibly intimate. The cinematography in this film really captures the message that this film is trying to portray. Both Marianne and Heloise have always had something restricting them from truly experiencing freedom and being who they are. But when they are together on the island they are free.
13. Maria Mazariegos 02.17.22 / 1pm

    Watching a Portrait of a Lady on Fire was an amazing experience for me. I absolutely loved every bit of it and I felt that I could watch it endlessly. There was something that I couldn’t quite put my finger on to explain why I enjoyed it so much until I read this review and I completely agree that it caters to the female gaze! Watching all those moments of longing and staring at each other made me swoon and the fact that the careful editing made it seem like everything could be said with just looks. I also feel that the constant display of the scenery and the ocean make it seem like there is so much to do and so much freedom to be had compared to the darkness that is inside certain parts of the house. Overall an amazing movie!
14. Henry Simmonds 04.01.23 / 7pm

    An amazing review on the mise-en-scene of this film! I had not noticed how the camera portrays the outside with wide, open shot signifying freedom and the inside with static, still shots. I agree that this film doesn’t oversexualize Heloise and Marianne’s romance since it was directed by a woman with the female gaze in mind. At first, I was afraid that their sex scene would be the pinnacle of their romance that the film would hammer home but I was proven wrong. The non-sexual scenes were what really showed their love and intimacy towards each other and it was done beautifully.
15. Jamie Tolentino 02.26.24 / 1pm

    Delightful review on this film that captures and appreciates the artistry that went into this film. I absolutely agree with you that this a movie that you should not miss, it is eye-catching both in the premise and in the visual sense. I had noticed the slow and quiet feeling of the film while watching it, but did not know how to put it in the proper words. The way you portrayed it captured my exact feelings- despite the “empty” feeling for many parts of the movie it still feels alive. The desire that Marianne and Eloise have for each other is beautifully portrayed through underlying motifs present throughout the movie and they do not feel oversexualized; a breath of fresh air especially regarding how lesbians tend to be portrayed in film. Overall, Portrait of a Lady on Fire has shot up the list and is now one of my favorite movies of all time; and many of the points in your review explain why.

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