Colette (2018 film)

Colette is a 2018 biographical drama film, directed by Wash Westmoreland, from a screenplay by Westmoreland and Richard Glatzer, based upon the life of the French novelist Colette. It stars Keira Knightley, Dominic West, Eleanor Tomlinson, and Denise Gough.

It had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2018. It was released in the United States on September 21, 2018, by Bleecker Street and 30West. The film is scheduled to premiere in London at the BFI London Film Festival. It is scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom on January 11, 2019, by Lionsgate.

Cast

 * Keira Knightley as Gabrielle Colette
 * Dominic West as Henry Gauthier-Villars, Colette’s husband
 * Eleanor Tomlinson as Georgie Raoul-Duval
 * Aiysha Hart as Polaire
 * Fiona Shaw as Sido
 * Denise Gough as Mathilde de Morny
 * Robert Pugh as Jules
 * Rebecca Root as Rachilde
 * Jake Graf as Gaston Arman de Caillavet
 * Julian Wadham as Ollendorff

Production
It was first announced on February 1, 2016, that Colette would be directed by Still Alice‘s (2014) Wash Westmoreland, who co-wrote the script with his late Still Alice collaborator and husband Richard Glatzer. The film reunites the producing team behind Carol, Number 9 Films and Killer Films. Bold Films financed and co-produced the film marking the company's first foray into the U.K. On the same day Deadline announced that Keira Knightley would star as Colette. On May 15, 2017, it was announced that Dominic West would join the cast as Colette's first husband. Deadline announced on May 23, 2017 that Denise Gough, Fiona Shaw, Robert Pugh, and Rebecca Root had joined Knightley and West in the film. On June 21, 2017, it was announced that Eleanor Tomlinson and Aiysha Hart had joined the cast.

It was announced by Gary Michael Walters that production would start filming in summer 2017. On May 26, 2017, the film's crew was spotted at a farm filming the movie in London. Knightley was spotted on the streets of Budapest, Hungary on her day off of filming there.

Release
The film had its world premiere at the Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2018. Shortly after, Bleecker Street, 30West and Lionsgate acquired U.S. and U.K. distribution rights to the film, respectively. It is scheduled to be released in the United States on September 21, 2018 to "select theatres" and wide release on October 12, 2018. It is scheduled to be released in the United Kingdom on January 11, 2019.

Reception
On review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 85% based on 114 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 74 out of 100, based on 33 critics, indicating "generally positive reviews".

For RogerEbert.com, Nick Allen wrote a positive review after the film's world premiere at Sundance. He said that "As a period film that's more than ready for 2018, Colette embodies the power of thinking forward in more ways than one."

According to reviewer Manohla Dargis of The New York Times, "Mr. Westmoreland [film director of Collette] ... wanted to make a liberation story. He has succeeded, at times movingly ... The whole thing is too smooth, clean and aspirational. And of course he omits much ... but with a life this exuberantly full, how could he not?"