Léo: A Film About The Master by The Master
If you are in the mood to be overawed (perhaps a better word is overwhelmed) visit Château Clos Lucé’ s latest triumph, a superbly curated Exhibition which takes you behind the scenes of Léo*, Jim Capobianco’s new stop motion film. His original musings, notes, sketches, drawings, story boards are all there.
What a privilege to see inside the workings of a mind which brought us The Lion King, Hunchback of Notre Dame, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc. Finding Nemo and Ratatouille.
Hard to take in but there he was, the man himself in the flesh so to speak, at Château Clos Lucé, Amboise Friday 2 February telling a captivated audience how Léo came about.
In the beginning was the word? No. In the beginning was his fascination with Leonardo da Vinci. He thought he knew most of what there is to be known about this intriguing man but had no idea that Leo’s last three years were spent not in Florence, Milan or Rome or indeed in Italy but in the tiny town of Amboise tucked away in the Loire Valley. He was amazed that this mind blowing fact is relegated to a footnote in the Master’s history.
François Saint Bris (left), Jim Capobianco (right)
He talked of his delight of meeting François Saint Bris, whose name is synonymous with Clos Lucé and his joy of walking the towns’ ancient cobbled streets thinking ‘I am walking where Leonardo walked’ a feeling of awe residents readily identify with.
Inspired by Clos Lucé, Amboise and Mr Saint Bris, his discoveries led to an idea for a story which, like Topsy in Uncle Tom’s Cabin just ‘growed’ into rough sketches done on the hoof, drawings, story boards and mood boards before bringing in his team of model makers, costume designers, set designers, prop makers, cameramen, musicians et al to create a little world, a magical world of delightful characters.
There can’t be many art forms as time consuming, needing as much dedication as that of Stop Motion (Stop Mo if you prefer to be on trend). The model of the stairs in Clos Lucé took a hundred and fifty hours to make yet is on screen for ten SECONDS. If that doesn’t make you gasp nothing will.
There can’t be many men who could create Léo the way Mr Capobianco has, except for one of course.
* Léo aka The Inventor follows Leonardo when he leaves Italy to join the French Court.
See Léo. Behind the scenes of the animated film from February 3 to May 12, 2024 at Château du Clos Lucé Amboise.
Post by Pamela (BA History of Art), Photography by Mark.
Leonardo da Vinci: The Amboise Connection by
Pamela Shields.
Available from the Boutique Clos Lucé and Amazon.
