AllMovie

A number of unique cinematic takes on the illustrious French composer Claude Debussy have emerged over the years, among them Ken Russell's semi-fictional The Debussy Film (1963), as well as characterizations of Debussy in the features The Loves of Emma Bardac and Bruno Nuytten's Camille Claudel. Great Composers: Debussy examines the 56-year life (he lived from 1862-1918), musical accomplishments, and cultural contributions of Debussy in an unusual nonfiction context: it provides a visual recreation of the environments that inspired the Frenchman's work -- such as the salons, the cafés, and several variations on the Cathedral de Rouen as painted by Claude Monet -- while Debussy's groundbreaking compositions unfurl atop the imagery. The film thus pulls audiences into the creative process that belied Debussy's compositional methods and introduces them to the 19th century European environs that served as his muse.