Educational Media Reviews Online

The inspired camera of Vincent Tamisier chronicles the life of Amandine Aurore-Lucie Dupin, otherwise known as George Sand, one of the most controversial personalities of nineteenth century France. The film begins with her birth in Paris and follows her life through her stays in Venice and Mallorca as well as her experiences in Paris during the Revolution of 1848.

The film’s dialogue is somewhat stilted and often in translation. It is the only awkward note in a remarkably inventive production which uses puppet shows, interactive graphics, cartoon strips and lush, romantic views of the places Sand stayed to tell the story of her life. The beautiful camera work is true to the spirit of Sand’s work in that, although an extraordinarily prolific writer in a variety of forms, she remains best known for her novels, which have been praised for their vivid depictions of the peasantry and the countryside.

Beginning with Sand’s birth on July 1, 1804, the film follows her life faithfully from her early life with her paternal grandmother, through convent schooling, an early and unhappy marriage, the birth of two children, and the flamboyant literary and social career that followed. A prominent member of the artistic and intellectual community in Paris, due to her prodigious literary output and her friendships with such figures as Honoré de Balzac and Gustave Flaubert, Sand also remained in the public eye due to her romantic involvements, which included relationships with Alfred de Musset and Frederic Chopin. She spent her last years in Nohant, where she died in 1876. This film also explores an aspect of Sand’s life not commonly discussed; this flamboyant early feminist was also a devoted mother.

Stilted dialogue aside, this film is still an excellent biography. It is recommended for high school or college literature and history collections.