Saint-Cyr (2000)

User Rating:

6.2/10   

Director:

Patricia Mazuy

Writers:

Yves Dangerfield (novel)
Patricia Mazuy (writer)

Release Date:

17 May 2000 (France)

Genre:

Drama | History | Romance

Plot Keywords:

Countryside | Royalty | Saint Cyr | 17th Century | Schoolmistress

Awards:

3 wins & 7 nominations

Cast

Isabelle Huppert	...	Madame de Maintenon
Jean-Pierre Kalfon	...	Louis XIV
Simon Reggiani	...	The Abbot
Jean-François Balmer	...	Racine
Anne Marev	...	Madame de Brinon
Ingrid Heiderscheidt	...	Sylvine de la Maisonfort
Nina Meurisse	...	Lucie de Fontenelle
Morgane Moré	...	Anne de Grandcamp
Bernard Waver	...	Gobelin
Jérémie Renier	...	François de Réans
Jeanne Le Bigot	...	Lucie (child)
Mathilde Lechasles	...	Anne (child)
Alain Hinard	...	Le premier soldat
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Bernard Amiot	...	Lazariste
Sophie Angot	...	Musicienne et chanteuse 'Esther'
Sandrine Bellot	...	Petite verte 'Théâtre Brinon'
Lise Benoist	...	Petite 'patois'
Anne Billows	...	Actrice 'Esther'
Marine Biron	...	Actrice 'Esther'
Amélie Boblin	...	Actrice 'Esther'
Xavier Bossert	...	Courtisan
Sonia Bouchareb	...	Actrice 'Esther'
Jennifer Bouclé	...	Actrice 'Athalie' dans la nuit
Pierre Brault	...	Lazariste
Chloé Brotons	...	Musicienne et chanteuse 'Esther'
Pauline Buet	...	Musicienne et chanteuse 'Esther'
Brice Bussy	...	Courtisan
Anne Carpentier	...	Maîtresse
Claire Cartery	...	Actrice 'Esther'
Céline Chaillot	...	Petite 'patois'
Patrick Cheradame	...	Lazariste
Céleste Clemencet	...	Petite 'patois'
Marina Clément	...	Gevrey Touquery
Virginie Coquerel	...	Petite 'patois'
Dominique D'Arnoult	...	Courtisan
Philippe Daurios	...	Courtisan
Carole Delvenne
Iris Drouillette	...	Petite 'patois'
Julie DuBois	...	Musicienne et chanteuse 'Esther'
Pauline Duclos-Grenet	...	Musicienne et chanteuse 'Esther'
Jean-Marc Dupré	...	Courtisan
Marguerite Dutac	...	Servante
Mathilde Eckenschwiller	...	Actrice 'Esther'
Violaine Faucher	...	Petite 'patois'
Juna José Fleury	...	Lazariste
Jenna Fleutot	...	Petite 'patois'
Lucy Fleutot	...	Actrice 'Esther' D'ablancourt
Estelle Fouillet	...	Musicienne et chanteuse 'Esther'
Marion François	...	Musicienne et chanteuse 'Esther'
Nadège François	...	Actrice 'Esther'
Roger Gaboyer	...	Courtisan
Edith Gallot	...	Petite 'patois'
Clémence Gaudin	...	Musicienne et chanteuse 'Esther'
Sarah Guillain	...	Petite 'patois'
Amélie Hergas
Vanessa Houtmann	...	Actrice 'Esther'
Ludivine Hue	...	Petite 'patois'
Julie Journeau	...	Musicienne et chanteuse 'Esther'
Gloria Kraemer	...	Musicienne et chanteuse 'Esther'
Emmanuelle Lafon
Valentine Lamotte	...	Musicienne et chanteuse 'Esther'
Bibiana Lapointe	...	Courtisan
Virginie Lavenant	...	Servante
Jean-Marc Le Bronnec	...	Lazariste
Claude Le Pape	...	Actrice 'Esther'
Adélaïde Lerebours	...	Musicienne et chanteuse 'Esther'
Johanna Lerebours	...	La malade avec Racine
Sandrine Letrecher	...	Courtisan
Capucine Mahé	...	Actrice 'Esther'
Adelaïde Malandain	...	Actrice 'Esther'
Damasie Malandain	...	Petite verte 'théâtre Brinon'
Xavier Maly
Estelle Marie	...	Petite 'patois'
Noëlla Mauduit	...	Actrice 'Esther'
Ingrid Molard	...	Musicienne et chanteuse 'Esther'
Sophie Morris	...	Servante
Léon Napias	...	Courtisan
Lise Niqueux	...	Musicienne et chanteuse 'Esther'
Annie Noël
Jean-Gabriel Nordmann
Célia Noris	...	Petites 'patois'
Marc Portughese	...	Courtisan
Céleste Prime	...	Petite 'patois'
Jean-Marie Seeuws	...	Lazariste
Eva Six	...	Musicienne et chanteuse 'Esther'
Camille Tanguy	...	Musicienne et chanteuse 'Esther'
Fien Troch
Camille Valette	...	Musicienne et chanteuse 'Esther'
Sarah Valette	...	Musicienne et chanteuse 'Esther'
Emilie Vautier	...	Petite 'patois'
Mathilde Verolles	...	Musicienne et chanteuse 'Esther'
Fanny Villain
Nadège Villain	...	Actrice 'Esther'
Raphaëlle Voreux	...	Musicienne et chanteuse 'Esther'
Mélinda Weiss	...	Actrice 'Esther'

Also Known As:

Die Schule der verlorenen Mädchen (Germany)
The King's Daughters (International: English title)

Runtime:

119 min | Argentina:122 min (Mar del Plata Film Festival)

Country:

France | Germany | Belgium

Language:

French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Argentina:13 | France:U | Hong Kong:IIA | Singapore:NC-16

Filming Locations:

Abbaye Saint-Martin, Sées, Orne, France

Company:

Archipel 35

Horrible and pointless

In the great tradition of deconstructive, revisionist, demoralizing 1990s French historical pieces (Le Roi Danse, Vatel, etc.) comes yet another unjustifiable horror, this time attacking the memory of Mme de Maintenon (wife of Louis XIV). This turgid post-modern melodrama has all the required ingredients by which France's period films of late are expected to regularly shoot themselves in the foot and reflect badly on their country of origin: great costumes and sets and great photography, marred by bad, zombie-like acting (especially on the part of the younger players), faulty narration (to the point that the viewer literally has no clue about whether the players are coming or going), unrealistic dialogue, too literary, yet never to the point, a pervading sense of urgency (every scene is a fresh drama demonstrating that life is a piece of crap devoid of any comic relief), plenty of medical emergencies like in any afternoon TV soap opera, numerous non sequiturs as if the viewer is to be condemned at every turn for caring about what happens next and about a healthy narrative arc. The general impression is one of depression, anemia and absurdity. Oh yes, and plenty of body fluids... The viewer honestly doesn't want to believe any of this happened the way it is shown. We want to believe the history of France and of its greatest characters had some purpose. The music is a horrible hodge-podge of electronic throw-aways and period pieces. The film's style has borrowed all the more questionable elements that make the worst films of Bresson, Godard and Marguerite Duras terminally boring and pointless but without talent, unity and vision. On a more positive note, this film has convinced me to renounce ever seeing another Isabelle Huppert vehicle. I would rather sow lint bunnies into a Gobelins tapestry. The cheery bird songs over the end titles weren't bad, though, but they came a little too late for my taste.