In this charming little artifact over a century old, Russian-born French actor, Sacha Guitry, employs newfangled technology, the motion picture camera, to capture some of France's great artists at the ends of their lives. We find Monet, at 74, painting in his Giverny garden, Renoir, at 74, smoking like a fiend while painting, Rodin, at 75, walking around rather aimlessly and chiseling away in his studio, flecks of marble clinging to his beard. The film ends with a few seconds of Degas, 81, strolling down a Parisian street.
The music appears to have been suppressed for copyright reasons in parts. To see and hear the complete piece, try this link.
[H/t Andrea Pollan]