"Marguerite" is a very well crafted French film. It's lovingly filmed and has a lot of wonderful aesthetic qualities. However, it's also a film that ultimately left me dissatisfied as the payoff wasn't at all what I would have anticipated...or enjoyed.
The Baroness Marguerite Dumont has the delusion that she has a beautiful singing voice and she dreams of becoming a world famous opera singer. When the film begins, she does a recital and the audience behave as if she is gifted...but she sounds much like an animal being tortured! Why each of these people go along with the ruse is uncertain but you can only assume many of these folks genuinely like her and don't want to spoil her dream. However, there are also those with hidden motives...such as the husband who is cheating on her as well as the Dadaist artists who believe anti-art and want to provoke audiences to hate her. What's to become of her and her plans of one day doing a giant recital in a real concert hall for the public?
This film seems, at times, like it's trying to be a comedy...albeit a dry one. After all, the name Marguerite Dumont appears to be a nod to the lady who co-starred in so many Marx Brothers films, Margarite Dumont. And, at times it seems like it's all a big joke. But ultimately the film becomes serious and a bit depressing...and left me feeling extremely dissatisfied. Still, it did take a risk and looked nice...but that's just not enough for me to recommend it.
The Baroness Marguerite Dumont has the delusion that she has a beautiful singing voice and she dreams of becoming a world famous opera singer. When the film begins, she does a recital and the audience behave as if she is gifted...but she sounds much like an animal being tortured! Why each of these people go along with the ruse is uncertain but you can only assume many of these folks genuinely like her and don't want to spoil her dream. However, there are also those with hidden motives...such as the husband who is cheating on her as well as the Dadaist artists who believe anti-art and want to provoke audiences to hate her. What's to become of her and her plans of one day doing a giant recital in a real concert hall for the public?
This film seems, at times, like it's trying to be a comedy...albeit a dry one. After all, the name Marguerite Dumont appears to be a nod to the lady who co-starred in so many Marx Brothers films, Margarite Dumont. And, at times it seems like it's all a big joke. But ultimately the film becomes serious and a bit depressing...and left me feeling extremely dissatisfied. Still, it did take a risk and looked nice...but that's just not enough for me to recommend it.