Queen Margot (1994)
"La reine Margot" (original title)

Young Queen Margot finds herself trapped in an arranged marriage amidst a religious war between Catholics and Protestants. She hopes to escape with a new lover, but finds herself imprisoned by her powerful and ruthless family.

Director:

Patrice Chéreau

Writers:

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

Stars:

Isabelle Adjani, Daniel Auteuil, Jean-Hugues Anglade

Nominated for 1 Oscar. Another 9 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
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

Storyline

The night of August 24, 1572, is known as the Massacre of St. Bartholomew. In France a religious war is raging. In order to impose peace a forced wedding is arranged between Margot de Valois, sister of the immature Catholic King Charles IX, and the Hugenot King Henri of Navarre. Catherine of Medici maintains her behind-the-scenes power by ordering assaults, poisonings, and instigations to incest.

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Plot Keywords:

protestant | catholic | massacre | marriage | king | 

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for nudity, strong sexuality, and for graphic scenes of massacre

Details

Country:

France Italy Germany

Language:

French Italian

Release Date:

9 December 1994 (USA)

Also Known As:

Queen Margot

Filming Locations:

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

Box Office

Budget:

DEM 42,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$2,017,346 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Renn Productions, France 2 Cinéma, D.A. Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

162 min 139 min (video)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Dolby SR

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Patrice Chereau edited the original cut of the film (roughly 160 minutes) to a smaller 138 minutes for international release. This was due to a disappointing box-office performance in France and the criticism (by, among others, Variety critic Todd McCarthy) of the film as being too violent and often incoherent. The French press were scathing of this 'American censorship' (they described the film as having been 'given a face-lift' for American audiences) but the new version was defended by various French critics being both more coherent whilst also maintaining Chereau's artistic vision. The shorter cut was later released in France too, in the hopes of increasing the film's box-office takings.

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Goofs

Margot's cloak as she approaches La Mole in the alley.

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Quotes

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

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Connections

Referenced in Paparazzi (1998)

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Soundtracks

"Elohi"
Performed by Ofra Haza
(Ofra Haza (as Haza) - Goran Bregovic (as Bregovic))

User Reviews

An artful French epic of wickedness, intrigue, and treachery.

"Queen Margot" is a French epic drama which tells of the political forces at work in France at the time of the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre which signaled the beginning of the end of the "religious wars" raging in France in the early to mid 16th century. Queen Margot (Adjani) is at the center of this maelstrom of wickedness and treachery which looks at everything from poison lip rouge to a bloody holocaust. An elaborate award winning production, "Queen Margot" presents its history realistically with no clear sense of good or evil - unlike "Braveheart", for example - with countless extras, spectacular costuming, and artistry in cinematography. Well worth its 2.5 hour run, this dark film, based on the novel by A. Dumas, is lacking in the didactic and will be difficult to follow for all but those with historical knowledge of the place and time. A little research prior to watching the film can go a long way toward understanding the complexities of the story.