Writer and philosopher Voltaire, loyal to his king, Louis XV of France, nonetheless writes scathingly of the king's disdain for the rights and needs of his people. Louis admires Voltaire but... Read allWriter and philosopher Voltaire, loyal to his king, Louis XV of France, nonetheless writes scathingly of the king's disdain for the rights and needs of his people. Louis admires Voltaire but is increasingly influenced against him by his minister, the Count de Sarnac. Louis's mist... Read allWriter and philosopher Voltaire, loyal to his king, Louis XV of France, nonetheless writes scathingly of the king's disdain for the rights and needs of his people. Louis admires Voltaire but is increasingly influenced against him by his minister, the Count de Sarnac. Louis's mistress, the courtesan Madame de Pompadour, is Voltaire's protector and advocate, but even sh... Read all
- Awards
- 3 wins total
- Hungry Peasant
- (uncredited)
- Protester in Montage
- (uncredited)
- Musician at Versailles
- (uncredited)
- Aristocrat at Gaming Table
- (uncredited)
- …
- Mme. Louise Denis
- (uncredited)
- Protester in Montage
- (uncredited)
- Undetermined Supporting Role
- (uncredited)
Featured reviews
In 1762 at 68 years old Voltaire takes up the case of a man who is apparently executed for nothing - how very true of religion! He chivvies away at the King via Mme de Pompadour to posthumously pardon him and his extant young and beautiful daughter but the wicked Comte de Alan Mowbray manages to bring about Voltaire's arrest for alleged treason instead. It was based on a real series of events, but needless to say partly fictionalised by olde Hollywood. The acting is usually intense but believable, although Douglas Dumbrille as the Eastern King in the play had me involuntarily looking out for Abbott & Costello! As the film lasts only 72 minutes it's all taken at a cracking pace, but I thought it was detailed enough for me to come away with a little more knowledge than I had before. Voltaire was a bit of a wit - a wag in a wig - unfortunately not much wit is on display in here.
If he was living today his interpretation of egalitarianism probably would be equated by many people almost to fascism, so far has our wonderful world been "improved" over the years. Nevertheless, he was a brave man for his time - if he had not lived it would have been necessary to have invented him, as this film did admirably well.
As with any period piece, the hairdressers working at the time of production must resist the urge to allow contemporary styling methods interfere with being true to the period they are representing. Inevitably, a hybrid of period styling with elements of the modern era is usually the end result.
This is the case for some of the looks in this fantastic adventure through Louis XIV France - in fact there are a few scenes with Voltaire desperately trying to choose a wig before his guests come in.
Regardless of not every piece being perfectly period styled, the wigs in this film are magnificent and an endless source of wonder for a veteran stylist like myself.
Once considered a friend of the French court, coffee-lover George Arliss (as Voltaire) stirs the masses with his revolutionary pamphlets. At first, white-wigged Reginald Owen (as King Louis XV) ignores his advisers' warnings about Mr. Arliss' treasonous activity. Arliss maintains a close friendship with King's mistress Doris Kenyon (as Madame Pompadour). With her help, he takes a cue from Shakespeare, "The play's the thing wherein I'll catch the conscience of the King." The staged production only makes matters worse, but Arliss has more up his sleeve. This story never rises far above star vehicle status, but Arliss is always worth watching.
****** Voltaire (8/5/33) John G. Adolfi ~ George Arliss, Doris Kenyon, Alan Mowbray, Reginald Owen
One who does worry about him is our sinister minister Alan Mowbray who worries that Arliss may be gaining too much influence at court. Mowbray is a master of intrigue and the film is about his schemes to disgrace Voltaire.
But as you can imagine Arliss is up to the challenge. As a classical stage actor who also did several silent films he seem to know instinctively what to do for sound. Arliss is the total package, face, voice, gestures, the works in his performances.
It seems that every Arliss film has a pair of young lovers whom Arliss helps through a crisis as well. In this case it's Gordon Westcott and Margaret Lindsay. And I cannot also forget a winning performance by Doris Kenyon as the royal mistress Madame Pompadour..
Arliss's biographical films were Warner Brothers prestige pictures in their day and they hold up well, Watching them is a tutorial in classical acting.
Friend and confidant of King Louis XV Voltaire is not averse to openly criticizing the King for his treatment of the lower classes or hurling accusations at members of his corrupt administration. When Voltaire comes to the defense of a slandered loyal subject his enemies in the court try to get him tossed into the Bastille. Luckily for Voltaire he has the ear of Madame Pompador who has the attention of the King. Count De Sarnac however is a formidable foe and the whim of the King remains in doubt when weighing Voltaire's broadsides and friendship.
Arliss does a deft balancing act of combining eloquence and silliness to address the sober issues at hand in his attempt to vanquish the execrable and duplicitous De Sarnac (played with relish by Alan Mowbray). Along with Paul Muni, Arliss cornered the market for historical bios (Disraeli, Alexander Hamilton, Cardinal Richelieu) in the first decade of sound but unlike the over the top Muni displayed a lot more subtlety and restraint in such portrayals and in Voltaire Arliss gives not only a mellifluous voice to the author of Candide but also the child like glee of a great man serving his passion.
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAlthough the onscreen source of the movie is a novel, it was never published. But modern sources say George Gibbs and E. Lawrence Dudley wrote a play for George Arliss, and it was the source adapted for the movie. The play also was never published or even produced.
- ConnectionsReferenced in Upperworld (1934)
- SoundtracksLa Marseillaise
(1792) (uncredited)
Written by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle
Played as part of the score at the end
Details
- Runtime1 hour 12 minutes
- Color
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.37 : 1
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