Colette Trailer: The Hand That Holds the Pen Writes History

Colette trailer: The hand that holds the pen writes history

Bleecker Street has released the second trailer for Colette, the literary biopic starring two-time Academy Award nominee Keira Knightley (The Imitation Game, Pride & Prejudice) from Still Alice director Wash Westmoreland. Check out the Colette trailer below, as well as the official synopsis (via Collider).

After marrying a successful Parisian writer known commonly as “Willy” (Dominic West), Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette (Keira Knightley) is transplanted from her childhood home in rural France to the intellectual and artistic splendor of Paris. Soon after, Willy convinces Colette to ghostwrite for him. She pens a semi-autobiographical novel about a witty and brazen country girl named Claudine, sparking a bestseller and a cultural sensation. After its success, Colette and Willy become the talk of Paris and their adventures inspire additional Claudine novels. Colette’s fight over creative ownership defies gender roles and drives her to overcome societal constraints, revolutionizing literature, fashion, and sexual expression.

Also starring Dominic West, Eleanor Tomlinson and Fiona Shaw, Knightley portrays Sidonie-Gabrielle Colette, the French novelist and Nobel Prize nominee most famous for penning the 1944 book Gigi, which was later adapted into the famous 1958 movie musical starring Leslie Caron, which won the Oscar for Best Picture. More recently, Stephen Frears adapted her 1920 novel Chéri into a 2009 film starring Michelle Pfeiffer.

The screenplay was written by Westmoreland with his late husband and filmmaking partner Richard Glatzer, with whom he wrote and co-directed Still Alice, and Rebecca Lenkiewicz. Pam Koffler and Christine Vachon (Carol, Still Alice) produced Colette for Killer Films, with Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley (Carol, Made in Dagenham) producing for Number 9 Films. Michel Litvak of Bold Films will also produce.

Colette is now playing in select theaters.