La reine Margot (1994)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

Director:

Patrice Chéreau

Writers:

Alexandre Dumas père (novel)
Danièle Thompson (scenario & adaptation) ...

Release Date:

9 December 1994 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

Plot:

The night of August 24, 1572, is known as the Massacre of St. Bartholomew. In France a religious war is raging...

Plot Keywords:

Catholic | Protestant | Massacre | Wedding | King

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 8 wins & 11 nominations

Cast

Isabelle Adjani	...	Marguerite de Valois dite La Reine Margot
Daniel Auteuil	...	Henri de Navarre
Jean-Hugues Anglade	...	Charles IX
Vincent Perez	...	La Môle
Virna Lisi	...	Catherine de Médicis
Dominique Blanc	...	Henriette de Nevers
Pascal Greggory	...	Anjou
Claudio Amendola	...	Coconnas
Miguel Bosé	...	Guise (as Miguel Bosè)
Asia Argento	...	Charlotte of Sauve
Julien Rassam	...	Alençon
Thomas Kretschmann	...	Nançay
Jean-Claude Brialy	...	Coligny
Jean-Philippe Écoffey	...	Condé (as Jean-Philippe Ecoffey)
Albano Guaetta	...	Orthon

Also Known As:

Die Bartholomäusnacht (Germany)
La regina Margot (Italy)
Queen Margot (USA)

Runtime:

162 min | France:159 min | Germany:139 min (video version) | Germany:174 min | USA:144 min

Country:

France | Italy | Germany

Language:

French | Italian

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | Germany:16 | Hong Kong:III | Peru:18 | Spain:13 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | Singapore:(Banned)

Filming Locations:

Basilique de Saint-Quentin, Saint-Quentin, Aisne, Picardie, France

Company:

Renn Productions

Trivia:

The film was the highest-grossing foreign film in Britain during the year of its release; its box office gross of £600,000, at the time, ranked it amongst the highest grossing foreign films of all time in the UK.

Goofs:

Continuity: La Mole is shot in the legs and the wounds and bloodstains are visible as he goes to execution. But when Margot views his semi-naked corpse, his legs are unmarked.

Quotes:

Margot: La Mole would die for us!
Henri: For *us*?
Margot: Yes, for us.
Henri: He'd die for another night with you.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 52nd Annual Golden Globe Awards (1995) (TV)

Soundtrack:

Elo Hi

A bloody French history lesson

French dynastic history in the late 16th century does not seem a promising subject for a film, but Patrice Chereau, a prominent French stage director, has teased out some personal drama out of the larger historical picture, and provided a vivid and absorbing tale. The story itself is adapted from Alexandre Dumas' novel, which is a pretty highly colored piece to begin with. Chereau theatrically plasters the set with blood and gore, and we are left in no doubt that an atrocity has occurred (the St Bartholomew's day massacre of the Hugenots.) The mendacious Queen Mother, Catherine di Medici, and her weak-minded son, Charles IX, seem to have set it off to deal with the protestant problem without realizing how bad it might get.

In all this horror is the rather cute tale of the relationship between two disparate personalities thrown together in marriage, Catherine's daughter Margo and Henry of Navarre (later Henry IV of France, and one of its better kings). Margo is repulsed at first sight by Henry `the peasant' while Henry rightly regards her as about as loving as a trapped tiger. Yet they reach an accommodation and finish up friends. Both have other lovers (and both respect that) but neither can prevent the lovers from coming to sticky ends.

It's always a bit hard to assess the acting when you are relying on sub-titles (if only the French didn't speak so fast) but Isabella Adjani at the age of 40 pulled off a remarkable job and had me convinced she really was a spoilt, willful little nymphomaniac in her early 20's. She looked as young as she did in the `Story of Adele H' 20 years earlier. Daniel Auteuil was also excellent as the unprepossessing but very intense and quick-thinking Henry. Virna Lisi, a sex symbol in her earlier film career, made a good villainess as Catherine. Most of the other principals seem to have been chosen for their looks by rent-an-ego casting though Jean-Huges Anglade was suitably pathetic as the doomed King Charles.

The rather claustrophobic sets brought home the medieval lack of privacy, even (perhaps especially) in royal palaces – the old Louvre was about as spacious as the ‘loo. The film fades a bit in the second half, but it's still not a bad story, if at times a bit difficult to follow. I have to say I found `Elizabeth' more interesting and a lot less bloody. Anyway, `Margo' is very French, and not to be judged by Hollywood standards (whatever they are).