"Please, I must see Miss Lipscomb." "At this hour?" "It's urgent...about my sister." "You'll wake the whole house!" "Miss Lipscomb!" "It's Mister Claudel." "She's vanished." "Where could she be?" "She told me nothing." "My mother's vey upset." "Ty the studio." "PARIS, FEBRUARY 1 885" "Camille, you went digging for clay again?" "I just saw your mother." "She was frantic." "And Paul was ready to look foryou all over the world." "Are you listening?" "Boucher is right, you've got the madness of mud." "You're awful." "You never answer me even when it's about you." "Only your work counts." "Am I meant to be a sculptor?" "I'm such a dreamer!" "Boucher says that Rodin is a genius but that he seduces all the girls." "We'll have to watch out." "He's as scandalous as his work?" "All his models sleep with him." "If he faces the light, we'll see him better." "Toto is transparent." "Don't leave it there." "When I'm nervous, I need Toto." "He'll think we're mad." "He's here!" "Let him in." "Why me?" "Let him in!" "Hello, young ladies." "Yes, yes..." "Yes..." "I must tell you, I can't stay. I'm in a rush." "Boucher said... lf l may say..." "Boucher...wins a prize, great!" "Ayear in Rome and who wouldn't rather be in Rome?" "Right?" "But as for replacing him that's a big step!" "No, you have to work the clay." "Don't rely on inspiration." "It doesn't exist." "What can I teach you, anyway?" "A sculpture takes time." "You have to let it rest forget it..." "to betterjudge it." "I know. I haven't finished it." "It's unfinished." "Also, the timing's bad. I've taken on much work. I'm swamped." "Have some tea, at least." "Boucher said you left the Academy." "Is that true?" "Yes, why?" "Shouldn't we have?" "No, no." "You've already solved the heating problem." "This is better." "Heating is vey important." "My first studio was a stable." "Freezing cold." "A rich lady wanted a statue of herself." "I didn't have a cent, so I got some old shoes... and tried to burn them for heat, you understand?" "The lady arrived and posed..." "but the smell!" "She passed out from the smell." "The scare of my life!" "I thought she was dead." "What's this prehistoric beast?" "That's Toto." "A small African rhinoceros." "Didn't you know?" "Zero plus zero equals Toto." "It feels so nice here, I forgot I'm in a hury." "Monsieur Rodin, I'd like some marble." "You've worked on stone?" "Granite." "In the county." "Rhinoceros, granite..." "You like challenges, Miss Claudel?" "So we'll all think it over..." "We'll see about the lessons." "There are other teachers..." "Young ladies, good-bye." "He's so handsome and strong!" "And bright!" "What do you think?" "Nothing." "What do you mean, nothing?" "We didn't ask him here to tell us stories." "That wasjust to get acquainted." "I can't afford it anyway." "That type says, "l know, you don't." "I see, you don't."" "You're exaggerating, Camille." "He never mentioned our work!" "Do you realize?" "What a lout!" "Does that amuse you?" "Not me." "You can yawn for Papa on Sunday." "Until now Papa went along with you." "But this time he won't." "The Academy was too disciplined." "You want your freedom." "Sharing a studio with a dizzy foreigner!" "You don't care what it costs!" "Classes...rent..." "Papa has to earn that money, cent by cent... at the expense ofall else." "Some life for a man his age!" "Seeing his family once a week!" "And what about me?" "When he hears that you sneak out to steal clay keeping us up all night, making your brother fail school!" "All foryour whims!" "foryour so-called "vocation"!" "And you upset your brother, having him... read filthy books unsuitable for his age..." "Unsuitable for any age!" "Leave her alone." "That shameless brat!" "My first marble!" "He'll like it so much, he'll sign it." "Like Michelangelo with his pupils?" "I wouldn't have Hugo sign my poems." "You're an anarchist, Paul." "Ayoung savage." "I can't bear school." "Thankyou for giving me Rimbaud's poems." "Will I ever be able to run away like he did?" "I love your writing and I adore you." "You alone believe in me." "My little Paul." "You look at me so sweetly." "is that a sin?" "Sin doesn't exist." "MARBLE WAREHOUSE" "Limet give this young lady some marble." "One of the chunks from "Eve."" "Excuse me--l'm being visited by the Ministy of Culture." "Send Louis with her." "Do you have tools for marble?" "Good luck, then." "The "Gates of Hell" will be one of the centuy's most beautiful..." "But you're far from finished..." "Are the Cathedrals finished?" "What have you worked with?" "Green granite... from Soissons?" "Yes." "Eve!" "Mr. Rodin is spoiling you." "Pure Pitacci." "Smell it!" "This one will probably do nicely." "That one?" "No." "This one." "Paros, from Greece." "Be careful, it's fragile." "A hand, or a handout?" "Neither one." "Why accept an official order for workyou don't plan to do?" "We'll never stay on schedule this way." "My ideas don't come from orders." "What did she choose?" "The pyramid." "The little one?" "Yes, the Paros marble." "She doesn't know how hard it is to work with." "One wrong tap and it breaks in half." "She's too young." "She should take lessons." "I saw her work, Limet..." "Two heads...an old woman and a tramp." "Merely sketches." "You know, when the clay is more alive than the model..." "like real flesh..." "That's rare." "You're wrong about her." "She doesn't need lessons." "Boucher is wrong, too." "She'll learn by doing." ""With that horrible warning..."" ""as the steel touched my neck..." ""my body shivered and a muffled cy escaped my lips."" ""The executioner's hand trembled."" ""'Sir,' he said to me..."" ""'Have I hurt you?"'" ""These hangmen have soft hearts."" "You seem to love Victor Hugo, Giganti." "He's the greatest man alive." "He's all I have..." "Now I have you, too." "Rodin could not have been indifferent." "The Dean of the School of Fine Arts thought you were already Rodin's pupil." "What have I done to deserve such a daughter!" "Always conniving to steal her father's money." "Don't you interfere." "That tramp!" "If my first baby hadn't died I'd never have given birth to her!" "She behaves like a boy!" "She hurts me sets her father against me." "He'll make us all suffer for her filth." "Madame, get dressed, please." "It doesn't help to shut yourselfaway." "5he should be shut away!" "Louise Athanaise!" "Come on out!" "This is ridiculous!" "Good morning, Monsieur Limet." "No luck?" "Thank Monsieur Rodin for me." "Jessie, read this!" "Read it out loud!" ""Young ladies. I am beginning a major piece ofwork."" ""l need apprentices." "Tomorrow, 8:" "OO a.m. My studio." "Rodin."" "Watch your step!" "Morhardt!" "Where's our friend?" "Bad timing." "Monsieur Rodin isn't here." "He's vey busy these days." "Rodin goes too far." "Did you see those two young girls?" "On the "Gates of Hell" there'll be small statues of the damned." "Rodin has great ideas." "With a little help from Dante and his "Divine Comedy."" "He doesn't need help." "He's been commissioned." "The boss will accomplish what he wants." "He always does." "He's like a father to me." "You certainly love him." "Marcel, you needn't have written on the cloth!" "Miss Claudel did it." "Foolishness!" "Remove that scroll!" "Put the two Adams back together." "Move out of the way!" "Young lady..." "Stand between them again." "Nice vey nice..." "Make me another Adam for tomorrow." "Thankyou, all." "How was Victor Hugo's first sitting?" "I love him. I'd like to sculpt him nude." "Like the God that he is!" "Hey girls!" "Got a lover?" "They're not telling." "Stuck-up!" "She's a properyoung lady." "She's cultured, she's saving it..." "Tell me, when do we see Rodin work?" "He's busy thinking." "He'd better watch out!" "Women are less important than official orders." "An artist is an artist." "The truth is, he has no ideas." "You know that Rodin is busy arguing with the Minister." "You know that he's the biggest Iecher since Victor Hugo." "I'm sure it will be beautiful, Giganti." "You'll be almost crouching, with your head down leaning on your knee." "And your arms..." "your arms will hang down hugging one leg." "I'm sure it will be powerful." "Powerful and tender just like you." "Taking a break?" "It has to dy." "Want company?" "All the screens are taken." "You wouldn't know what to do." "Come on, honey!" "Show me what you've got!" "Let go!" "You're asking for it!" "I'll get you." "Girls don't play coy for long, here." "You can play without me." "Leave her alone." "You!" "You'd better stick to plastering!" "Don't you get it?" "You're like plaster dull and sticky!" "Where are you going?" "Back to my real work!" "Forget it." "You don't stand a chance!" "What's wrong?" "Trouble?" "I just passed by an angy young girl..." "Wait for me in the office." "Return to your pose, Adele." "He doesn't like my marble foot." "He'll never sign it." ""A miracle is based on three conditions:..."" ""The credulity ofall, the good will ofsome..."" ""And the tacit consent of the principal creator."" "He should have understood..." "You take eveything too much to heart." "Did you ask him?" "He never speaks to me." ""He who is a legend in his own time, is ruled by that legend."" ""lt may begin in absolute innocence."" ""But, to cover up flaws and..."" ""...maintain the myth of Divine Power..."" ""...one has to employ desperate measures."" "We'll hire another...?" "No!" "Still no word from the Claudel girl?" "No." "You are unbearable!" "Why did you leave?" "Such outrageous behavior!" "Are you always so impulsive?" "I have no time." "I didn't hire you as a joke." "I need people on thejob, day and night." "There's work to be done!" "Where did you find that clay?" "Under my feet." "In Paris, Monsieur." "You got the head and neck right but you avoided the body." "The human body is a world that moves." "It's life!" "Never think in surfaces, think in depths." "Ifyou want to copy the head of my Adam, look..." "No, I didn't..." "Where's your model?" "Not a pro, I hope." "They're too soft, flabby..." "Come and look..." "Stand here, see..." "You must search in the neck you must force the muscles." "There..." "You never see me work, so you think I do nothing." "Careful, you'll hurt him!" "There you are." "You spare your model." "You're bold enough to sculpt a nude man." "But you make him comfortable, and you hide his body." "I'll show you where l work in secret." "You grant that I'm bold, at least." "You're intelligent and you work from the heart." "But you go about it the wrong way." "You want me to teach you?" "I don't need lessons or advice." "I work directly with live subjects." "I accept, Miss Claudel." "Am I fired?" "She's a pupil." "Oh, sure, another pupil..." "Too bad!" "Because I froze yesterday." "What'll we ty?" "I hope today you have an idea, at least." "The longeryou think, the colder I get." "One can only see the profiles in shadow." "That profile is no good." "See?" "Won't you go in?" "No... I'll go seeJessie first." "No...not tonight." "I'll see her tomorrow." "You already know things that took me years..." "And, what I saw in Italy..." "Michelangelo's unfinished slaves lost, abandoned in a dark corner..." "The randomness of what's left unfinished it's a complete emotion before pure genius." "The other day when I saw you all white, standing between my two Adams you gave me the idea for a third one." "I thought inspiration doesn't exist." "Pardon me?" "I thought inspiration doesn't exist." "I'm so happy." "I'm so happy, Camille." "I'll take you whereveryou want." "Anywhere." "To the studio." "Your studio?" "Yes..." "No." "Giganti is probably sleeping." "I'll go home." "Shall we go to Italy?" "I'm going in." "Afraid of being scolded?" "Honest?" "I'm no longer a child." "And my mother doesn't speak to me." "Why?" "She doesn't like sculpture..." "All that filth..." "Mine alwavs said, "Get rid of them!" "The'y're eveywhere!"" ""Even under the bed!"" ""Your mess!"" "You see... I'm twice your age but we'll have the same memories." "Good night." "I never meant to copy your Adam." "My Giganti hides his body because he's hurt." "Your coat!" "At least you know what moves you... I no longer know." "Look, Paul..." "He signed!" "Victor Hugo is dead." "is that her?" "She has eyes you read about." "Deep blue, Schwob." "Victor Hugo is dead!" "Victor Hugo is dead!" "Victor Hugo is dead!" "All of France weeps for Hugo, and you cy over nonsense!" "I want to go with you!" "But it's a funeral!" "I'm saving you a trip." "I want to see the procession." "There isn't any." "Yes, there is!" "I read about it." "Now, Rose..." "The truth is, you're ashamed of me." "You'll be happier on your balcony." "Oh, leave me alone!" "Have you seen Giganti?" "What heat!" "Oh, such heat!" "Can't you play something else, dear?" "She said, "You're ashamed of me!"" "And he said..." ""Rose, you'll be happier on your balcony."" "And old Rose was dressed in pink, from head to toe!" "Who is this Rose?" "Louis says it's ancient histoy." "is she his wife?" "Louis says she's one ofseveral." "But they're not married." "You're sure?" "Positive." "Her name is Rose Beuret." "It's hot, isn't it?" "You're sure?" "Yes." "Are you sure?" "Yes." "Get dressed." "That funeral wore me out." "Poor Victor Hugo." "Come back tomorrow." "It's too hot today." "Good-bye, sir." "Another party that turns into crap." "All the simpering and fake grief." "His corpse comes in handy." "You're a fine sight in those dark panes!" "The county will do us all good." "She thinks she doesn't need the rest." "Walk around!" "You'll step on your sisters' skirts!" "I've invited Monsieur Rodin to Villeneuve." "It's time we thanked him." "But, Papa, he's too busy." "He can't come." "I wrote to him." "We'll see..." "Tell the priest I still want to tear down his church." "Louis Prosper!" "Stop tormenting that poor priest." "Have a good trip!" "See you Sunday." "Monsieur Rodin. I beg you... don't come to Villeneuve." "Notice the curves of the steeple." "Delighted, Madame Rodin." "We wanted to thankyou..." "We feel honored..." "How was your trip?" "Camille!" "Our guests are here." "We used to live here all year but my husband works in Rambouillet now." "And then, Camille dragged us to Paris." "Here's Camille... I know..." "May I present my brother, Paul..." "Delighted." "Sensual pleasures are eveywhere..." "The color of the foliage the quality of the sky..." "Stop!" "Rose will catch on." "I don't care." "Silence!" "ifonly we had lettuce like this in Paris!" "You flatter my wife." "It's her garden." "I grow tomatoes on my balcony." "Rose is full of ideas." "I don't want to see them." "You should have stopped him." "And he brought he_I I'll never forgive you." "Do you want to wash up?" "Exactly." "Follow me." "Wear out the earth..." "Aren't you glad to see me?" "Why did you come?" "It's horrid. I'm ashamed." "It's a good way to keep time." "To be precise, Madame this poor priest keeps us informed ofall his pitiful activities." "Are you a practicing Catholic?" "I do as Monsieur Rodin does." "And what does Monsieur Rodin do?" "This may surprise you, but I almost became a monk." "I was young." "My older sister Maria, whom I adored became a nun... after a promise of marriage fell through..." "She died of grief." "After her death I entered the monastey." "I began leading her life." "To my surprise, my Confessor asked me to do his portrait." "By making me sculpt, he brought me back to life." "To m_ life, I mean." "It's a miracle that he recognized the difference between griefand a vocation." "No doubt... I think I'd do the same thing." "You?" "You'd become a nun?" "I would stop..." "What arrogance!" "From whom do you get it?" "Camille is not arrogant." "Shejust won't settle for less... than she thinks she deserves." "When she's violent... it's only because she's impassioned." "As a child she used to model human skeletons out ofclay." "Then she'd bake them in the oven." "And she'd forget to eat and sleep." "It was amazing." "When she's touchy... it's because she's uncompromising." "Monsieur Rodin must have realized this." "Isn't that so, Monsieur Rodin?" "Ah, temperament!" "Where do we get our temperament?" "We don't know what it is,... but we do know what it does!" "On the "Gates of Hell " l'm three years behind." "So, if I don't want to be hounded by bureaucrats... I must have help." "I can't work alone." "And Jessie Lipscomb is leaving us for England." "I need qualified artists." "Talented ones!" "And fast!" "No time to lose." "Which brings me... to the pressing reason for my visit here." "I want Camille in Paris!" "Oh, yes." "That's the end ofvacation." "Madame Rodin, coffee is served." "I feel you're abandoning me." "You're abandoning me." "Rodin didn't come to say good-bye." "Give his secrets to the English." "I won't give them." "I'll sell them!" "Here they come!" "Welcome." "Marvelous, isn't it?" "Pure 1 8th centuy..." "Change the locks." "It sure stinks... lndusty, Louis, industy." "I thought the "Neubourg Folly" was a madhouse." "Did you check thoroughly?" "Yes." "Nobody's living here." "The county!" "Right here in Paris!" "Do you like our new studio, Miss Claudel?" "I'm the happiest woman alive." "I love you." "I love you!" "Look how beautiful you are..." "Look..." "Stay with me tonight..." "No... I don't want to upset my family." "Just look at them!" "Scandalous!" "Louis Prosper, come inside now." "You'll catch cold." "When I think Camille doesn't even bother... to come home on Sunday." "Your one day at home..." "Are you listening to me?" "She's a bad example for Paul." "I couldn't find Giganti!" "You'll forget him." "He'd have been a good "Bourgeois of Calais." To work!" "You loved her?" "I know you loved her." "You never dared tell her." "I'll tell you a secret, Giganti." "Without her, I don't know..." "She's my only source of inspiration." "What does she have that I've lost?" "I'm going." "No." "What'll I do without you?" "Poor boy, drowning in filthy water too disgusted to call for help, he lets himselfdie." "I want to go far away, leave Paris leave the family... leave eveything around me... before it's too late." "Rodin will surely help you." "You'll join the foreign service..." "At least now you remember I exist." "What's this?" "Your sister and her fiancé are here!" "Tell Rodin you'd prefer China or America..." "Your fiancée is a fine pianist, Mr. Massay." "What are you lovebirds doing?" "Come, have your picture taken." "Rodin was going to give you a raise." "Did he?" "He promised, Papa." "Does he pay you regularly?" "Yes." "The "Bourgeois of Calais" are nearly done." "What does that have to do with it?" "Since you met Rodin... you've done no work ofyour own." "That's not true." "He's more concerned about my future than I am." "This is December." "Ifyou haven't begun, you'll miss the Salon." "You've exhibited nothing yet this year." "I've learned to work faster from him." "My daughter didn't wait for Rodin in order to exist!" "Don't ever forget that we're different." "That we're the Claudels." "You always worked faster and better than others." "Remember, Boucher told us... you must exhibit to become known." "There's no other way." "I know, Papa." "Look at me, darling." "Lift your eyes." "Your future belongs to you." "Also..." "Don't be seen too much with Monsieur Rodin." "People might gossip." "Sory I'm late." "You can see your sister later." "She's here for good." "Please..." "Lunch is ready." "This lunch meant so much to Camille." "What a cook that Rose is!" "Winter will be rough." "Whenever I'm still hungy I eat the bread." "Thanks, I'm fine." "Let's write to my friend... in "Foreign Affairs" together." "This way." "Madame, I have good news." "You're pregnant." "I know you'll overeat again." "I despise those people and their damned dinners." "Those people don't even understand your work." "Let the Mayor of Calais come here." "It's the whole Town Council of Calais!" "I can't stand these parties." "Go, see your Minister alone." "I'm glad I won't be seeing you!" "Mary me." "Dear Rodin... I can't come to Calais." "I have no hat or shoes." "5o excuse me... a nd don't accuse me of bad faith." "I began a portrait ofyou." "When it's done, I'll make a mold." "When that's dy... I'lljust need to break it open to see you." "Camille." "I sleep naked-- as ifyou were here." "But when I wake up, it's not the same." "Don't be unfaithful to me." "You'II never eet him!" "He's mine!" "Where would you be without your hands?" "Next time, I'll kill you." "Papa, it's foryou." "Camille has disappeared." "She left eveything behind." "What is it now?" "You just got back from Calais..." "Nobody's seen her in 3 days." "There's nothing I can do tonight." "Let him in, if he's here." "Leave me in peace!" "Go to the studio." "Get the others." "Run!" "Striking, isn't it, Limet?" "Alchemy." "Magic." "I never saw a self-portrait like that." "So lifelike." "A cruel look at yourself..." "You must look, gentlemen." "An artist believes his own eyes." "Many pupils have done my bust." "This one is the most beautiful." "I'll exhibit it eveywhere." "Imagine!" "From memoy!" "She did it from memoy!" "She did it in your absence?" "Miss Claudel has become a master." "She has the talent ofa man." "She's a witch." "It's magnificent." "A premonition." "That's how I'll look in ten years." "It's magnificent." "Something has happened..." "Something's wrong." "Where were you, my love?" "Choose, Rodin." "Your wife, or me." "Rose is not my wife." "What's wrong with you?" "Jealous ofan old attachment?" "It's not like you and me." "You and I are freaks of nature." "We're the same breed." "You're dreaming, Rodin." "An idyllic romance in a castle..." "We're two ghosts in a wasteland." "What are you talking about?" "With you I want peace..." "oblivion...work..." "Will you leave her?" "ifonly I could, Camille." "ifonly I could." "Leave her, I beg you." "Leave her." "I'm the one you love." "Tell me I'm the one you love." "You love me_ Do you?" "You love me!" "Don't let the worst happen to us." "Please." "There are different ways of loving." "What do you want me to do?" "Fire her, like a maid?" "I'll speak to her." "Give me time." "Give me time to prepare her." "I'm all she has." "She's the one you love." "It's her." "Rose is ill, you hear?" "She's ill." "I thought you were different." "I'm leaving." "Tomorrow I'll send for my things and my pay." "You tyrant!" "I worked hard foryou." "Now I'll work for myself." "All right, let's go." "You move in and go through my things." "You believe in God?" "Ifyou think I like being with Catholics!" "Did you convert?" "Have you gone crazy?" "No. I found faith." "Why did you hide it all this time?" "Ifyou think I haven't been worying what Papa would say!" ""Another of my son's whims!"" "I was in agony." "You would all have laughed." "Remember, the whole family obeyed you when you announced we should stop attending mass." "That's not your only reason for not telling us not the only reason." "I want to write." "I want to be successful." "It won't be easy to be a Catholic, a poet and a diplomat, all at one time." "You can laugh ifyou like!" "But the man with no faith will never be a great artist." "God exists." "He saved me from despair and I need Him to be myself." "I'll be who I am without any help." "I've prayed foryou all year long." "I had an abortion, Paul." "An abortion!" "My poor Camille..." "Are you going to leave him?" "Let me stay here a while." "I won't botheryou." "I don't want to go back home." "I promise I won't see him again." "Hail May, full ofGrace" "Blessed art Thou among women." "Holy May, Mother of God, pray for us sinners..." "That's her body." "I hear the Claudel girl makes the hands and feet of his statues." "Love has given the old man wings." "A card, sir." "CAMILLE CLAUDEL SCULPTOR" "Where's the beautiful girl?" "You have a rich imagination and a steady hand." "I must go." "Thankyou." "Eugene Blot." "Well?" "Well...?" "Well..." "nothing but naked rumps... I kissed Sakountala!" "We all wanted to kiss her." "But I did it!" "Naked rumps pointing toward Heaven, noses in the sand." "I know you heard horrible things." "Kiss me." "No comment." "Let's be clear:" "I do the business, you do the sculpting." "I'm sure I can sell both ofthese in bronze." "I'll make the sales, take my percentage--and we're even." "Of course, you get the first bronzes." "Take this advance." "You need it." "Thankyou." "Thankyou, Monsieur Blot." "There might be an official order foryou." "Do you hear?" "At least, go and see Morhardt." "Forgive me." "Open the door!" "Camille!" "Bundle up, Paul." "It's vey cold in America." "And watch out in the streets." "They have gangsters." "Savages...cowboys..." "Good luck, Paul." "God bless you." "God keep you." "Assert yourself!" "I'll miss you." "I'll ty to do well, too." "You'll be proud of me." "Write to me." "We'll be like we used to be." "Like before!" "Your brother's been sent to New York." "We have decided to give you your dowy." "You've dipped into it considerably." "But, still..." "At last we're leaving Paris after those years of hard work that poisoned our tranquility." "Ifyou really need to, come with us to Villeneuve." "There's no shame." "Many unmarried girls do it." "Do you think she'd agree?" "She's a considerable sculptor and... ls she really working on her own now?" "I showed her where to find gold, but the gold she finds is hers." "I'd like to interview her." "I'm not vey cheerful." "I've become a stranger to myself." "There's always something missing." "Your voice has changed the most." "Nothing that's monstrous is foreign to me." "You, at least, are used to it." "All your intrigues..." "You can't deny it." "You can be so nasty at times." "I find that you're not well." "Your "Balzac" is a noble idea, Auguste Rodin." "That's not the general opinion." "That statue has made me the laughing stock of Paris." "My Balzac!" "I'll end up putting it in my garden!" "Why don't you touch me?" "No." "Let me discover your work, will you?" "Why?" "Are you afraid I've surpassed you?" "No, no." "Copied me, perhaps." "Calm down..." "They say you're not well..." "But when I see the amount ofwork!" "Won't you look?" "No, I'd rather feel it first." "With your courage..." "your colossal willpower..." "You make me want to scream." "I feel like I've brought home a bailiff." "No." "You can't..." "You can't... I told you the trouble I've had over "Balzac."" "Ifyou complete this one, there'll be more scandal." "How can you reduce what we shared to that image?" "You show me as a spineless puppet torn apart by two women." "That's a vile caricature!" "What do you want?" "I wantyou to do what I tell you to do!" "Exactly!" "Not do what I'm doing?" "I've earned the right to do my own work." "If it means ridiculing me, destroying me then you must give it up." "Submit all your ideas to me." "Don't compare yourself to me!" "What?" "Never!" "You're a third-rate sculptor." "Then why attack me so violently?" "Eveything comes from me, nothing from you." "You struggle too much foryour work." "It speaks for itself." "Why are you jealous?" "Jealous?" " Yes." "Jealous, me?" "I make sculptures of life, not death!" "You despise life." "You search for pain." "You get drunk on pain." "And you create pain." "You portray yourself as a victim." "A martyr." "But _ou're the one who left me." "It was impossible to live with you!" "Listen, Camille." "The work we did together was good." "I always treated you as an equal." "All the work I did foryou was good!" ""Miss Claudel, Rodin's pupil!" ""She picks up Rodin's scraps..."" ""and crams them into her sculptures!"" "You allowed them to say it!" "Oh, God!" "You're my worst enemy I'vejust realized." "You stole it all!" "My youth, my work!" "Eveything!" "I've ruined your life?" "I wish I'd never met you!" "I'd rather be in an asylum!" "That's where you'd like to put me!" "You're completely drunk!" "Completely drunk." "You've started drinking." "Eveyone says so." "If I didn't drink... they'd all know you put me in this state." "So let them think I'm in this state because I drink!" "I'm a well-known professional sculptor. I'm backing you." "I know the fools are against you." "What do you mean, professional?" "Do you mean running three studios at once?" "Socializing instead of putting your hand in clay?" "Driving your workers on marble... while you add the finishing touches!" "As an artist, I refuse your system!" "Stop this gossip!" "Slander!" "Stop confusing eveything!" "Confusing!" "You're confused!" "Supporting political hacks so they'll defend your work!" "I'm neither for nor against Dreyfus!" "ifonly you believed in either side..." "When I heard you were pro-Dreyfus... just foryour personal gains foryour Balzac so you could finally exhibit, then I turned _8_inst Dreyfus!" "That's enough!" "Stop." "It's ridiculous!" "Such a waste!" "When I met you, you were for me, the most desirable woman in the world." "You, who are a sculptor!" "You caressed my naked stomach and didn't even realize it had changed." "Had I known you expected a child I'd have married you." "Foryears...you didn't want..." "You never wanted to choose..." "You never decided anything." "I never loved anyone but you." "I couldn't share you." "It was a struggle for me." "What should I tell you?" "You made a mistake, that's all." "It's finished." "I don't want any more complicated emotions the tyranny of feelings." "I can't anymore." "On your deathbed you'll still hesitate!" "Why?" "There's nothing left." "Yes, but..." "What will you do?" "I need the money." "You're crazy!" "You'll never get it inside." "What about the landlord?" "What about him?" "It's only wood." "Thankyou, Robert." "Good-bye..." "You're wrong to think it's about you." "You're a sculptor, Rodin, not a sculpture." "You ought to know." "I am that old woman with nothing on her bones." "And the aging young girl... that's also me." "And the man is me, too." "Not you." "I gave him my toughness." "He gave me his emptiness in return." "There you are-- three times me." "The Holy Trinity, trinity ofemptiness." "How did you know there were people inside the big white rock?" "You have a stomachache?" "My father's a doctor." "You lied!" "You said you wanted my three figures... for the Universal Exposition!" "I swear, it was never a question of the Exposition of 1 900." "Listen, Miss Claudel... I was the first one who wrote about you, defended you." "I need recognition, not praise!" "But you have it!" "The order for "The Age of Maturity" is official." "But not for the Exposition of 1 900." "It's a scheme of Rodin's." "I know it!" "Whenever he can, Rodin helps you." "He respects you deeply as an artist." "He wishes you well." "Believe me, I'm in no mood to be held back by Rodin's gang." "He brags about his power." "And he prints my portrait on postcards... against my wishes!" "And the bust I made ofhim!" "He exhibits it anywhere, in any way, without my consent!" "His head!" "It's all he cares about." "And the erotic sketches!" "You go too far!" "Rodin isn't your enemy." "You must calm down." "You've assailed us... with your letters and demands for too long." "Who do you thinkyou are?" "Don't you know who I am?" "Or are you pretending?" "What kind of behavior is this?" "You're crazy!" "I'm Camille Claudel!" "And ifyou don't know it, I'll show you!" "Doctor Michaux!" "Let go of her!" "Scandalous!" "I'm Doctor Michaux." "What is this?" "A search warrant, sir." "We're reclaiming state property." "It's a plot by the Rodin gang." "The State paid foryour work." "Monsieur Morhardt gave you the check." "I burned the check." "Nobody can keep me from making another one." "Capitalist!" "It's your devil, Camille, again!" "Exploiter of the poor!" "You have to come out of your house now." "You hear?" "You'll have to walk through garbage to get out." "You hear me?" "It's time we moved." "My daughter!" "It's not possible." "Your eyes are dark blue, my child." "You look terrible." "Louise couldn't reach you." "Your brother also tried to see you... during his last visit." "He was in paris?" "is that in America?" "Fou Tcheou." "He travels a great deal." "He's a vice consul." "It's beautiful." "I wanted so much to go to China with him." "He'll be well-known." "He's a great poet." "I neglected him for too long." "I know, Papa." "I always took up too much room." "Have I disappointed you?" "Yes but I'll always love you." ""l wanted not to weep"" ""and to get up to walk, but man only goes forward."" ""Until he has to stop."" ""And his bones well up in his eyes, out of that sea..."" ""which, in all chests, rises to the same level."" ""Where did I go wrong?" "Where is my fault?"" ""lf they cut off my hands..."" ""..." "I'll offeryou the stumps."" ""l'll come toward you..."" ""On my bones, toward you..."" "I'm ashamed I'm ashamed." "Paul has found God." "He's come to terms with that." "Good terms." "And you, what will you have, when I'm gone?" "My dear Paul... I have a lot of new ideas foryou." "Three figures listening to another, behind a screen." "A young girl on a bench, cying." "Her parents watch, stunned." "I get great pleasu re from working." "In next year's salon, the group ofthree... if I'm done, large scale." "And I've another group in mind, that you'll love." "See, it's no longer like Rodin." "And dressed?" "You never tell me what you're writing." "Any new books?" "Several friends told me to buy, "Tete d'Or."" "It's been terribly cold lately." "I keep a fire going all night." "Ifyou can spare any money for heat... it would help." "Thank you for the onyx." "I hear the crash of green water." "H ury and come see all this." "I hold you close." "Camille." "You're the only one to whom I've confided all this." "Don't show this to anyone." "Are you drunk?" "Enough, Camille." "Enough!" "My God, you've changed!" "Haven'tyou seen the river rising?" "The area has been evacuated." "He wants to drown me now." "The way you cary on!" "You refused an order for ten busts of Rodin!" "You're officially invited to Prague with him--you don't go!" "Have some courage, damn it!" "Your behavior is irresponsible." "You hear?" "Irresponsible!" "To complete the picture you mail cat shit to the Minister of Culture and accuse Rodin ofstealing the Mona Lisa." "Bravo." "Vey funny." "Stop these morbid pranks." "Go out!" "Be seen!" "React intelligently... instead of buying yourselfalive." "This is suicide, Camille." "I'm afraid." "I'm afraid of being robbed!" "I'm afraid!" "Eveyone is afraid one time or another." "But...with me..." "it's all the time." "There are people..." "who are bothered by me who don't forgive me for being so gifted." "No, listen, Camille." "We haven't met for a long time." "What new treasures!" "Look..." "This little piece it's monumental!" "You mean "The Chatterboxes"?" "You call it that?" "Or "The Gossips."" "Sakountala in marble." "And that little girl..." "Look, I'll give you six months to create a new piece for me, large-scale." "I'll arrange an exhibition... a one-man show ofyour work." "They'll see how sublime you are." "You look like Cinderella." "I like Cinderella." "It's like the lower depths here." "I'll arrange it all." "First, the cats." "Don't move. I'll be back." "I'll cary you to the boat." "Camille Claudel is the first to create this type of inner sculpture." "Critics have often compared her art to that ofanother, whose name I detest... ln fact, there is no similarity whatever... between the two." "The art of that sculptor is the heaviest there is." "Some of his figures can't even get free of the clay in which they are petrified." "When they aren't crawling..." "hugging the mud in a kind oferotic furor-- ...then each, clasping another body, seeks to recreate the primitive mass." "lmpenetrable, they repel the light..." "like a thick wall." "She's frightening!" "How embarrassing for her brother." "You're a wonderful poet, Monsieur Claudel." "You've seen "The GossiDs"?" "It's so small... ' ...it fits in your hand, like a secret." "Eugene Blot, thankyou!" "It's a triumph!" "She doesn't have a style..." "Ofcourse she's eccentric... lt's from Camille." "She made that dress especially for the occasion." "A circus!" "Nothing ever comes out ofa whirlwind except trash." "Still, Camille's work isn't at all like Rodin's sleazy pawing." "Getting over Rodin has been hard on her, you know." "She staked eveything on Rodin, and she lost eveything." "My sister. ...is a mystey in full light." "There's a way to approach a mystey...gently... I'm leaving, Blot!" "Without saying good-bye to her?" "The reviews were mostly good." "They only panned your "Perseus."" "They found it too disturbing." "Some felt you portrayed _ourself... as having a severed head." "They've no right to criticize my statue." "You've struggled alone." "You're the most authentic sculptor I know." "Just disregard the salon clique." "I sold nothing but I will." "I'm not discouraged." "Your work can't help but touch collectors in the end, because it tears my heart out." "They scoffat you because they can't destroy you." "Genius always terrifies people." "I should have bought dresses, hats, instead of indulging my passion for dubious edifices." "Your art is so great, nobody understands it anymore." "I love you, Blot." "Just send back the works in plaster." "Keep the marble pieces." "Keep the bronzes, too." "You go, Robert, talk to her." "It's Robert!" "Open up!" "You!" "Open up!" "A shame, using a child." "Robert, where's your dad?" "All they do is sleep!" "I am a sculptor, sir!" "I get my ideas at night." "That's it!" "Good-bye, Robert." "MARCH 3, 1 91 3" "When I think of how he suffered when he learned the truth about her and Rodin!" "Such arrogance!" "Living with him like a kept woman!" "I don't even dare say what I think!" "She abused us!" "Still I can't abandon m' y daughter." "Something must be done quickly." ""l, the undersigned, doctor of medicine..." MARCH 8, 1 9 1 3" ""...certi_ that Camille Claudel..."" ""...suffers from severe mental problems."" ""That she wears rags..." "certainly never washes herself.." ""That she has sold almost all her furniture..."" ""...although she receives from her family--who also pay for her rent--"" ""...200 francs per month..." ""with which she could live comfortably..."" ""That she lives in isolation, in a locked room, without air..." ""...having sealed the windows several months ago."" "She amounted to nothing." "I amounted to something." "She didn't." ""She evidently is still terrified of Rodin's gang."" "All the gifts Nature gave her... brought only unhappiness." "It's a total catastrophe." "My sister is swallowed up." ""...and a danger to her neighbor necessitates her confinement..."" ""...to a mental hospital."" "MARCH 1 O, 1 91 3" "All these ordeals in one week." "The death of my husband..." "my daughter... lt's horrible." "When she's better, you can take her home..." "My little Paul..." "You came to see me in May and I made you promise... not to neglect me so terribly." "Madhouses are made to i n_ict sumeri n g." "It can't be helped especially if you never see anyone." "They ty to force me to sculpt here." "They don't succeed, so they make trouble for me." "Don't forget, Paul... you r sister is i n prison with madwomen." "Mama wrote the doctor... that I mean to harm you." "That I detest you and am out to hurt you." "It's not true." "I wish she would take me to Villeneuve with her." "Do you think I enjoy spending months, years... like this, without any news, or hope?" "Where does such ferocity come from?" "How did they manage to change you so?" "I'd really like to know." "You might as well send me to Siberia." "Did you take care of my things?" "Are they in Villeneuve?" "Be careful they don't fall into Rodin's hands." "He's so afraid I might come back." "That's why he's keeping me here, isn't it, Paul?" "I would so like to go home and close the door tightly." "I don't know if I'll be able to realize this dream-- ...to be home." "Oh, God, I wish I were in Villeneuve." "Your sister in exile." "Because of the war Camille Claudel was transferred to the asylum at Montdevergues on September 9, 1 91 4." "She died there on October 1 9, 1 943, after thirtyyears ofconfinement."