Le Mystère Picasso 1956

Like a matador confronting a bull, the artist approaches his easel. As he wields his brush, the painting dances into being before our eyes. Pablo Picasso, the most influential artist of the 20th century, is making art, and famous French director Henri-Georges Clouzot is making a movie. This entirely new kind of art documentary captures the moment and the mystery of creativity; for the film, the master created 20 artworks, ranging from playful black-and-white sketches to widescreen color paintings. Using inks that bled through the paper, Picasso rapidly created fanciful drawings that Clouzot was able to film from the reverse side, capturing their creation in real time. When the artist decided to paint in oils, the filmmaker switched to color film and employed the magic of stop-motion animation. By contract, almost all of these paintings were destroyed when the film was completed. Unavailable for more than a decade, "The Mystery of Picasso" is exhilarating, mesmerizing, and unforgettable; it is simply one of the greatest documentaries on art ever made. The French government agrees; in 1984 it declared the film a national treasure. (-DVD back cover)

Prix spécial du jury au festival de Cannes 1956, ce film signé Henri-Georges Clouzot montre Pablo Picasso au travail, avec des plans séquences en caméra fixe. «Le film de Henri-Georges Clouzot dépasse tout ce que le cinéma a fait jusqu'ici pour la peinture», écrivit, à l'époque de sa sortie, François Truffaut. Le Mystère Picasso, devenu un classique depuis, nous projette au coeur de l'acte créateur. L'oeuvre n'est pas décortiquée, ni analysée à la loupe : elle naît sous nos yeux, à la vitesse du pinceau, et l'émerveillement est constant. Dessins et peintures apparaissent aux spectateurs grâce à un système de peinture par transparence.

A filmed record of Pablo Picasso painting numerous canvases for the camera, allowing us to see his creative process at work.

“When we are all dead, you and me and everyone,” said Clouzot to Picasso, “the film will still continue to be projected.”
“One of the most exciting and joyful movies ever made!”— Pauline Kael
“Pure and delightful enchantment — a feast for the eyes.
A film anyone interested in art or the creative process should see.”— Raymond J. Steiner, Art Times
“Amazing. ‘Picasso’ may be the most original art documentary ever made.”— Newsweek
“Rare, precious and irreplaceable. This is an unparalleled opportunity to watch one of the world’s most creative minds — the Twentieth Century equivalent of watching Michelangelo transform the Sistine chapel.”— Catharine Rambeau, Detroit Free Press