Colette (2018) quotes
Director
Wash Westmoreland.
Cast
Keira Knightley.
Fiona Shaw.
Dominic West.
Colette is pushed by her husband to write novels under his name. Upon their success, she fights to make her talents known, challenging gender norms.
You poor thing. You want the earth and the grass, don’t you?
– Colette
My name is Gabrielle Colette and the hand that holds the pen writes history.
– Colette
Willy married! The wild days are done, eh?
– Count Muffat
On the contrary, the wild days have just begun.
– Colette
Are you writing for him too?
– Schwob
Mm-hmm.
– Colette
He’s made you one of his ghosts already?
– Schwob
You could write.
– Willy
What?
– Colette
Those stories you told me of Saint-Sauveur last year.
– Willy
My school stories?
– Colette
Yes. That could be Willy’s next novel.
– Willy
The hand that holds the pen writes history.
– Colette
I will continue to pursue this because I want to, and if Paris won’t have me, then so be it. I’ll go elsewhere to make a living.
– Colette
I have this remarkable idea. Or at least I think it could be.
– Willy
Alright, what is it?
– Veber
I’m going to launch a novel.
– Willy
A novel?
– Veber
Yeah, we have stories by Willy. We have music reviews by Willy. Now we have Willy’s first novel. It’ll have enough literature for the highbrows and enough filth for the great unwashed, or vice versa.
– Willy
And who’s going to write this novel?
– Veber
You are.
– Willy
You married a literary entrepreneur. It’s a phenomenal disaster.
– Willy
And you’ve married a country girl without a penny to her name.
– Colette
We’re doomed, aren’t we?
– Willy
It’s perfect.
– Colette
I believe Willy based Claudine in part on your school days.
– Ollendorff
Yes, I think I had a little something to contribute.
– Colette
Well, I’m very glad your experiences have borne such wonderful fruit.
– Ollendorff
We’ve got the wind under our wings, and I have a little plan to turn Claudine into the most popular girl in France, if not the entire world. She will literally be a household name.
– Willy