ALCHEMY OF THE WORD" is a section of Arthur Rimbaud's A Season in Hell that explores his desire to transcend reality; a terribly enigmatic poem, a surreal narrative where the narrator then steps in and explains his own false hopes and broken dreams.
The concept:
Following the dramatic narrative, very dual, a battle between Heaven and Hell, my approach was to work with this duality :
Thinking of the film as a painting, exploring the light and the shadows of the souls in the scenic space, bringing the visceral emotions from the colours of food, the wine, the flowers, the blood and from the french flag as well.
The set is minimal, naturalistic, and faithful to the poets' time, and lifestyle, but also having space for a few surprising and original elements like Rimbaud's personality.
The location:
"Imagine a setting sun seen through a grey crêpe."
Verlaine
The poets moved into 8 Royal College Street in Camden Town in May 1873, where they lived for three months.
Shot in Spitalfields at a georgian terraced house, the location added the historic authenticity. To be faithful to the poverty in which the poets lived, the room has little furniture, much of which would belong to the landlord, and they would only have their personal objects, which could fit in few suitcases. Books would certainly be the biggest part of it, along with some belongings stolen from Mathilde, Verlaine's wife.
