Respond to these rapid questions in our Colette quiz and we will tell you which Colette character you are. Play it now.
In “Colette,” a film based on the life of the foremost female French novelist, Giles Nuttgens’ gorgeous cinematography transports us to a lush, candle-lit world of late nineteenth-century France, contrasting the thick greenery of the countryside with the lavishly decorated interiors of the city. Colette is a film about the life of the foremost female French novelist. Not in terms of the amount of money spent by the people who live there, but rather in terms of the abundance of lived-in detail bathed in soft, golden light, both locations are seductively lavish. Throughout the film, Colette herself, played by Keira Knightley, stands out as an increasingly stark contrast to both settings, being too curious and independent-minded for the quiet life of the country and too honest and unconfined for the conventions of the city, respectively.
At the time of our first meeting, she was a young woman known as Sidonie-Gabrielle “Gaby” Colette, who had just graduated from high school. Her hair is in long braids, and she appears to be abiding by her mother’s strict rules, albeit with some grumbling on her part, as well. In the city, a man named Willy (Dominic West) pays her a visit and presents her with a gift: a snow globe depicting the Eiffel Tower, which is a new Paris attraction. We see that their relationship is not the kindly uncle figure and shy schoolgirl that her parents believe it to be when she goes for “a walk” after he leaves for the train station after he has left for the train station. According to her, this is what she tells her mother (Fiona Shaw). Nevertheless, her “walk” takes her straight to the barn, where she and Willy enjoy a joyful romp through the hay. In his words, “your hair is something out of this world.” She reminds him that she is a young lady without a dowry.
Nevertheless, they marry, and the country girl finds herself in the midst of the Parisian arts community, demonstrating to those who might consider her unsophisticated that she is bright, brave, and eager to be a part of what is going on. The wild days are over, eh?,” says a snobbish acquaintance upon learning of Willy’s marriage, to which Gaby responds with asperity, “On the contrary, the wild days have only just gotten started.” That is more accurate than she realizes. She had anticipated that being married to Willy would make her “complete and happy,” and for a time, she does feel that way. Then it doesn’t work anymore.
But you shouldn’t waste any more time and start this Colette quiz.
The novelist Gaby is tasked with writing a novel that contains “enough literature for the highbrows and enough dirt for the great unwashed—or vice versa” when Willy’s publishing company is unable to pay his authors. He disapproves of her first draft, claiming it lacks sufficient plot and is “too feminine.” After that, he signs her story about Claudine, a teenage girl, with his name on it. It becomes a sensation due to the unprecedented candor with which it presents the perspective of a young woman in the world. Gaby is pushed to write sequels by Willy, who even locks her in a room until she produces more pages of writing.
Colette Quiz
Willy betrays Gaby as a wife when he explains that constant infidelity is just how men are and that she must learn to live with it in her marriage. She believes that her own name should be on the Claudine books, which are not only written from her point of view, but also from her own experiences, and that he is betraying her as a writer as a result.
Also, you will find out which character are you in this Colette quiz.
As she reads the books, she begins to piece together what is going on in the present by telling Willy, “I’m planning on killing Reynaud [the Willy character] off in the next one,” and reminding him of his own statement, “The hand that holds the pen writes the history,” she is able to piece together what is happening in the present. Willy tries everything he can to keep Gaby, who now prefers to be addressed as Colette, as the young country girl he first met, even asking her to dress in Claudine’s schoolgirl uniform to help him achieve this goal. Her independence is cemented, however, when she embarks on a long-term relationship with one of the numerous young women who insists, “I’m the real Claudine.”
About the quiz
Colette begins to learn to dance and act, and she eventually begins to perform on stage. She has relationships with other women (one of whom also has an affair with Willy). She also fights for the right to put her name on her work.
Also, you must try to play this Colette quiz.
As with all films about writers, the film struggles with the same problem: there is nothing more un-cinematic than a person sitting at a desk with brow furrowed, putting words together, even if they are doing so with an elegant fountain pen in a gorgeous Belle époque setting. If this had been done, it would have given the story more depth, especially for American audiences who may only be vaguely familiar with Colette’s story that inspired “Gigi,” and it would have given them a better sense of her work, its frankness and modernity.
However, whether they are in love or estranged, the chemistry between Knightley and West is palpable, and Knightley gives one of her best performances as a girl with spirit and talent who grows into a woman with ferocity and a voice.
For more personality quizzes check this: Pandas Quiz.
