Marquise (1997)

The rise and fall of a beauteous actress. She rises from an impoverished background to become a favorite of the Sun King, Louis XIV.

Director:

Véra Belmont

Writers:

Jean-François Josselin (scenario), Véra Belmont (scenario)

Stars:

Sophie Marceau, Bernard Giraudeau, Lambert Wilson

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sophie Marceau	...	Marquise
Bernard Giraudeau	...	Molière
Lambert Wilson	...	Racine
Patrick Timsit	...	Gros-René
Thierry Lhermitte	...	Louis XIV
Anémone	...	La Voisin
Remo Girone	...	Jean-Baptiste Lully
Georges Wilson	...	Floridor
Marianne Basler	...	Madame
Franck de la Personne	...	Monsieur
Romina Mondello	...	Armande
Estelle Skornik	...	Marie
Anne-Marie Philipe	...	Catherine de Brie
Christine Joly	...	Madeleine Béjart
Beatrice Palme	...	Geneviève

Storyline

Marquise is a drama about the rise and fall of a beauteous actress. As cheerfully portrayed by Sophie Marceau, the eponymous heroine is an engagingly ribald, but perhaps rather too modern, character. She rises from an impoverished background to become a favourite of the Sun King, Louis XIV, and the mistress of the celebrated Racine, who wrote roles especially for her; but her fate, in the end, is a tragic one.

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Plot Keywords:

woman | king louis xiv | actress | racine | f rated | 

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Genres:

Drama | Comedy

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Details

Country:

France Italy Spain Switzerland

Language:

French

Release Date:

12 September 1997 (USA)

Also Known As:

I markisia

Filming Locations:

Mantua, Lombardia, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$71,384, 21 September 1997

Company Credits

Production Co:

Stéphan Films,France 3 Cinéma,AMLF

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Soundtracks

L'amour médecin
Written by Jean-Baptiste Lully

User Reviews

Marquise Si Mon Visage...........

......A Quelques Traits Un Peu Vieux

Souvenez-Vous Qu'à Mon Age

Vous ne Vaudrez Guère Mieux

(Marquise,If My Face is an old man's one/Remember when you get old,you won't look any better)

A poem written by an aging Corneille for Marquise -which is a first name ,not a title- which would never come true cause MARQUISE died young.

Generally I 'm not a fan of Sophie Marceau but she's acceptable here,particularly when she dances .She gets strong support from Bernard Giraudeau as Molière,Lambert Wilson as Racine,Anemone as "la Voisin" (the poison expert) and even Thierry Lhermitte as the king.

Vera Belmont successfully recreates the GRand Siècle when the Sun king used to reign: from the muddy filthy streets to the luxury of Versailles and Vaux-le-Vicomte where the nobles hide their grime behind an outrageous make up.

Some lines are very funny but you have got to have some knowledge of classic French literature so you can appreciate such witty words as "let's say "Tartuffe" takes place in England or among that infamous Protestant reformed religion!"Belmont also draws an interesting parallel between Racine's "Andromaque" and the young widow Marquise .

Best scene: Duparc's burial at night,for at the time thespians were excommunicated .Giraudeau's lines goes straight to the heart.There is a similar scene in Abel Gance's "Le Capitaine Fracasse" .That director was certainly a major influence on Belmont:like him,her characters often use lines of poetry.