The Moderns is a 1988 film by Alan Rudolph, which takes place in 1926 Paris during the period of the Lost Generation and at the height of modernist literature. The film stars Keith Carradine, Linda Fiorentino, John Lone, and Geneviève Bujold among others.
Nick Hart (Keith Carradine) is an expatriate American artist living in Paris among some of the noted artists and writers of the time, including Ernest Hemingway (Kevin J. O'Connor), Gertrude Stein (Elsa Raven), and Alice B. Toklas (Ali Giron). Nick is torn between his ex-wife Rachel (Linda Fiorentino) and Nathalie de Ville (Geraldine Chaplin), who hires him to forge her paintings. He must also contend with Rachel's current husband, Bertram Stone (John Lone), who does not know that his wife is still married to another man.
Rudolph first wrote the script in the early 1970s after making his first film, Premonition. The film was originally planned to be shot in 1977, after Welcome to LA. Rudolph attached Keith Carradine and Mick Jagger (as Betram Strone) and received development funding from David Puttnam; Carolyn Pfeiffer was going to produce. However funding failed to materialize after Puttnam went to make Midnight Express. Puttnam loved the sense of period in the script but felt there was a lack of narrative.
Rudolph kept working on the script with the journalist Jon Bradshaw over ten years. Bradshaw was married to Pfeiffer, who had by this stage made several films with Rudolph. Bradshaw died in November 1986 of a heart attack. Rudolph told Pfeiffer he would make the film for whatever she could raise; she managed to get $3.7 million, $2 million less than the original budget. The bulk of the funds came from Nelson Entertainment. Under the deal, Nelson received foreign theatrical, worldwide video, pay-television, and syndication rights while Alive (Pfeiffer's company) got domestic theatrical rights and a distribution fee.
Meg Tilly was set to play the part of Rachel Stone, but withdrew due to scheduling conflicts. Linda Fiorentino eventually signed on to replace her. Mick Jagger and Sam Shepard were considered to play Bertram Stone, before John Lone was cast. Isabella Rossellini screen-tested for the role of Nathalie de Ville, but lost to Geraldine Chaplin.
The film was shot in Montreal in May 1987 over 35 days. Forger David Stein made six paintings for the film including copies of works by Paul Cézanne, Amedeo Modigliani, and Henri Matisse. Stein waived his normal high fee for the movie because of his enthusiasm for the project; he also played a French critic in the film.
The film received fairly positive reviews from critics, and it holds an 81% rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 21 reviews. It was nominated for three Independent Spirit Awards, including Best Supporting Male for John Lone, Best Screenplay, and Best Cinematography.
American film critic, Roger Ebert, in his review stated that The Moderns is:
Jonathan Rosenbaum said the movie is "far and away the most ambitious Rudolph movie to date."
Alan Rudolph said the film "infuriated most of the art world who saw it... because it turns everything inside out: itâÂÂs about counterfeit society and about the myths of Paris in the âÂÂ20s."