LIKES:
The Opening -We know that historical bibliographies are sometimes a tad mundane and boring on the opening leading to heavy eyelids.
-This film though does it right. An opening act that takes everything you like and gives you a snapshot of what is to come condensed into a great entrance that serves a quality Act 1 -It's exciting, but mostly realistic. It sets up relationships without taking an hour, and feels complete with laying openings of mysteries to solve.
-Perhaps one of my favorite openings of my movie career, it shows the potential of this film and does it with that movie magic/historical prowess that these films serve as.
The Costumes -When it comes to historical pieces ambience is everything and again, Chevalier's studio accomplishes much when it comes to my viewing.
-Oscar Worthy costumes play out in this film, a strong attention to detail where fashion meets society expectations that really create the 18th century feel that it needed.
-They were fitting and fine, yet elegant, bringing each class, each scene to life, with color and regality without letting it take over.
-I felt much in a play or stage show, that's how good the stitchwork was and I was very pleased with just the feel of every character's look as the movie evolved. So incredible.
The Setting -Another piece of art, the setting really helps further box you in to the time setting, a wonderful recapturing of the European society, in this case France.
-Now, not being much of a traveler I can't tell you how accurate or where they fit in, because that's not my specialty.
-What I can tell you is that once more Hollywood has created pieces or at least gone to locations that feel like the traditional part of the historical literature and the concert halls that were the popular venue.
-Majestic buildings of stone at their prime line the streets, alongside mansions of elaborate and immaculate designs that feel very much of the time period.
-Stage coaches and seeing the way the markets are set up adds that cultural experience that many entertaining pieces come together on, and I love the feel of this and the society it creates.
The Pace Of The First Two Acts -I said it before and I'll say it again, but the opening acts really worked for me on multiple levels.
-For one part it is the rise of the story and the evolution of a character that deciphers mystery of the pasts.
-It keeps pace and entwines with many facets of the movie, and I loved how it started to work so much into the themes of the movie and paint that society piece.
-With character introductions, a challenge so to speak, and a wonderful promise of things to come, the pace finds that balance of entertainment and details that is important.
The Acting -Another major success in my opinion, this film requires strong acting to make ghosts of the past come to life.
-Boynton makes a wonderful Marie Antoinette, at least one not so grossly portrayed as a snob, but rather a Queen with more dynamic qualities outside lavish lifestyle.
-I loved her dictation, her looks of majestic ruling, and the way her role evolves as the events transpire. She kept to the roots, but expanded on her emotions and that was nice to see at time with some of the best dialogue.
-Samara Weaving does justice to her role as Josephine, once more captivating me with her acting and the way she plays society pieces with a slight edge that isn't overbearing.
-Beautiful as she is, the way she plays this role is emotional, dropping into this strong role and making it hers, but seldom stealing the show from the others. I loved her delivery of dialog, and at least her manner of timing to the singing, or singing if she actually did it.
-Of course, Harrison Jr. Is the star of the show and does a lot with the about 120 minutes of the film he is in it.
-He plays this composer well and the direction to have him cocky, but yet relatable and seeing the potential for even more, is conveyed so wonderfully by the way he does things on the screen.
-The saber fights and the musical battles are wickedly balanced between modern edge with traditional poses. His line delivery is tight for the most part, and seldom strays from the figurehead he does. And I for one, enjoyed his emotional moments as the story evolved.
-His chemistry worked with so many elements of this movie and he was a shining star in my book for a wonderful display of acting.
The Dialog/Writing For Most -It's smart, it's historical, and yet has a tad modern twist to give a little more relatability.
-Chevalier's writing is all about simply conveying the matters at hand and evolving as each part of the movie unfolds.
-The opening dialog of vagabond lifestyle meeting society works, while the middle acts convey the weight of this competition he is in and the passion he has for the various aspects of it.
-Even the last act that was not my favorite, has the moments that are so charged I could not help but fall into as the actors brought it to life.
-Sure, there are some dry spots of dialogue, and the fact they had to remind us the French people were speaking French/ and we were just hearing the English "dubbed".
-Otherwise, it fits the piece well and makes for a wonderfully entertaining dynamic.
The Music -The best part is the classical work to this movie and the wonderous performance it brings.
-Chevalier is a pinnacle of classical work and it strives very well in regards to what he contributed. The movie is filled with parts of his work, piano and violin strumming to epic emotional moments much like what you hear in classical tapes.
-And yet, the movie uses those pieces to tell the emotions of the moment, much like Hollywood does, but to a much better degree that I love.
-Hearing this in both fore and background enhances the scenes, and the way the director guided it to mimic his found works and place them where they fit best.
-That opening moment works and there are other times we get hints of that, much of this showing just how gifted this man was with musical theater.
DISLIKES:
A Tad Boring Middle of the Movie -For this reviewer, pacing started so strong, but then hit a bit of a snag for me in Acts 3 and 4.
-Potentially because I'm not the biggest on love aspects of movie, Chevalier's synopsis takes major hold starting middle ground which threw a wrench in the gears for me.
-Certainly it's important, but many of the things the first two acts did for me were sort of diluted and would not appear again until Act 5.
-Losing those qualities, which were what drew me into the film with the credits, I needed a bit more of those things to return to help get past the slow spiral of this particular story.
-Others may find this part more endearing, but for me, while fantastically edited and acted, was the part I felt was weaker given several of the other things done in this movie.
The Lack Of The Revolution Spark Promised -This movie talks about the man who sparked the Revolution to come.
-We kind of got that. Throughout the movie, you are seeing the starts of the movement taking spark, but only from the sidelines, which is good.
-Unfortunately, the final act is where things seem to be the focus for this and I can't say that it delivered on my expectations for the hype the trailer promised.
'Again, don't get me wrong, it's good on some levels, but time did not do it justice and I think there was more to the tale that I wanted to see.
-So, I can't say that it was the best Revolution piece as the trailers seemed to promise.
Some Inconsistent Character Use -The movie is really about three main characters, and two of which go absent for some time in the film.
-Other character's hold the potential to be something more, supporting roles that become tertiary and are rather mundane outside a few scenes.
-And that to me again was something I hated to see wasted. Chevalier almost feels like there is more there, but to go with time limits had to be cut.
-It's not the worst use of characters I've seen, but it also isn't the best, with so much more needed to help maximize the character use.
More Music Needed For Big Numbers -You heard it right, more musical numbers are needed given the other piece of this movie.
-Chevalier may use the music well, but it didn't perfect it for me and took the half-used route I get frustrated with studios doing.
-A wonderful opening number felt complete, but Acts 2 and 3 are about building a piece to which we barely see snippets of because of the other plot point.
-I'd have liked a little more focus on this and time to it and given us a strong middle number to show the majesty of the work.
-Then the final act needed a number as well, something to go out strong on, but alas feels like they shortened it too for the sake of the movie, giving us a powerful glimpse.
The VERDICT: Chevalier is certainly a movie with gusto, poise, class, and feel that is worthy of the Toronto Film Festival awards it received. To me it feels like an extended history book chapter, giving you the highlights, to fit into a roughly two classroom timeline. Smart performers and writing, visual feel that immerses you and music to show off, these aspects are good for fleeting attention spans. However, the movie almost needed two movies or a series to properly give you everything Chevalier could have been and not lose the pacing the first two acts set up for me. That strong opening, with the trailers, promised something deeper, and sadly it didn't all come through for me to fully warrant a higher mark. Still, totally worth a visit for historian buffs, or classical movie lovers, with classrooms doing the best to show this piece to their charges. I give the movie:
Biography/Drama/History: 7.5 Movie Overall: 7.0.
The Opening -We know that historical bibliographies are sometimes a tad mundane and boring on the opening leading to heavy eyelids.
-This film though does it right. An opening act that takes everything you like and gives you a snapshot of what is to come condensed into a great entrance that serves a quality Act 1 -It's exciting, but mostly realistic. It sets up relationships without taking an hour, and feels complete with laying openings of mysteries to solve.
-Perhaps one of my favorite openings of my movie career, it shows the potential of this film and does it with that movie magic/historical prowess that these films serve as.
The Costumes -When it comes to historical pieces ambience is everything and again, Chevalier's studio accomplishes much when it comes to my viewing.
-Oscar Worthy costumes play out in this film, a strong attention to detail where fashion meets society expectations that really create the 18th century feel that it needed.
-They were fitting and fine, yet elegant, bringing each class, each scene to life, with color and regality without letting it take over.
-I felt much in a play or stage show, that's how good the stitchwork was and I was very pleased with just the feel of every character's look as the movie evolved. So incredible.
The Setting -Another piece of art, the setting really helps further box you in to the time setting, a wonderful recapturing of the European society, in this case France.
-Now, not being much of a traveler I can't tell you how accurate or where they fit in, because that's not my specialty.
-What I can tell you is that once more Hollywood has created pieces or at least gone to locations that feel like the traditional part of the historical literature and the concert halls that were the popular venue.
-Majestic buildings of stone at their prime line the streets, alongside mansions of elaborate and immaculate designs that feel very much of the time period.
-Stage coaches and seeing the way the markets are set up adds that cultural experience that many entertaining pieces come together on, and I love the feel of this and the society it creates.
The Pace Of The First Two Acts -I said it before and I'll say it again, but the opening acts really worked for me on multiple levels.
-For one part it is the rise of the story and the evolution of a character that deciphers mystery of the pasts.
-It keeps pace and entwines with many facets of the movie, and I loved how it started to work so much into the themes of the movie and paint that society piece.
-With character introductions, a challenge so to speak, and a wonderful promise of things to come, the pace finds that balance of entertainment and details that is important.
The Acting -Another major success in my opinion, this film requires strong acting to make ghosts of the past come to life.
-Boynton makes a wonderful Marie Antoinette, at least one not so grossly portrayed as a snob, but rather a Queen with more dynamic qualities outside lavish lifestyle.
-I loved her dictation, her looks of majestic ruling, and the way her role evolves as the events transpire. She kept to the roots, but expanded on her emotions and that was nice to see at time with some of the best dialogue.
-Samara Weaving does justice to her role as Josephine, once more captivating me with her acting and the way she plays society pieces with a slight edge that isn't overbearing.
-Beautiful as she is, the way she plays this role is emotional, dropping into this strong role and making it hers, but seldom stealing the show from the others. I loved her delivery of dialog, and at least her manner of timing to the singing, or singing if she actually did it.
-Of course, Harrison Jr. Is the star of the show and does a lot with the about 120 minutes of the film he is in it.
-He plays this composer well and the direction to have him cocky, but yet relatable and seeing the potential for even more, is conveyed so wonderfully by the way he does things on the screen.
-The saber fights and the musical battles are wickedly balanced between modern edge with traditional poses. His line delivery is tight for the most part, and seldom strays from the figurehead he does. And I for one, enjoyed his emotional moments as the story evolved.
-His chemistry worked with so many elements of this movie and he was a shining star in my book for a wonderful display of acting.
The Dialog/Writing For Most -It's smart, it's historical, and yet has a tad modern twist to give a little more relatability.
-Chevalier's writing is all about simply conveying the matters at hand and evolving as each part of the movie unfolds.
-The opening dialog of vagabond lifestyle meeting society works, while the middle acts convey the weight of this competition he is in and the passion he has for the various aspects of it.
-Even the last act that was not my favorite, has the moments that are so charged I could not help but fall into as the actors brought it to life.
-Sure, there are some dry spots of dialogue, and the fact they had to remind us the French people were speaking French/ and we were just hearing the English "dubbed".
-Otherwise, it fits the piece well and makes for a wonderfully entertaining dynamic.
The Music -The best part is the classical work to this movie and the wonderous performance it brings.
-Chevalier is a pinnacle of classical work and it strives very well in regards to what he contributed. The movie is filled with parts of his work, piano and violin strumming to epic emotional moments much like what you hear in classical tapes.
-And yet, the movie uses those pieces to tell the emotions of the moment, much like Hollywood does, but to a much better degree that I love.
-Hearing this in both fore and background enhances the scenes, and the way the director guided it to mimic his found works and place them where they fit best.
-That opening moment works and there are other times we get hints of that, much of this showing just how gifted this man was with musical theater.
DISLIKES:
A Tad Boring Middle of the Movie -For this reviewer, pacing started so strong, but then hit a bit of a snag for me in Acts 3 and 4.
-Potentially because I'm not the biggest on love aspects of movie, Chevalier's synopsis takes major hold starting middle ground which threw a wrench in the gears for me.
-Certainly it's important, but many of the things the first two acts did for me were sort of diluted and would not appear again until Act 5.
-Losing those qualities, which were what drew me into the film with the credits, I needed a bit more of those things to return to help get past the slow spiral of this particular story.
-Others may find this part more endearing, but for me, while fantastically edited and acted, was the part I felt was weaker given several of the other things done in this movie.
The Lack Of The Revolution Spark Promised -This movie talks about the man who sparked the Revolution to come.
-We kind of got that. Throughout the movie, you are seeing the starts of the movement taking spark, but only from the sidelines, which is good.
-Unfortunately, the final act is where things seem to be the focus for this and I can't say that it delivered on my expectations for the hype the trailer promised.
'Again, don't get me wrong, it's good on some levels, but time did not do it justice and I think there was more to the tale that I wanted to see.
-So, I can't say that it was the best Revolution piece as the trailers seemed to promise.
Some Inconsistent Character Use -The movie is really about three main characters, and two of which go absent for some time in the film.
-Other character's hold the potential to be something more, supporting roles that become tertiary and are rather mundane outside a few scenes.
-And that to me again was something I hated to see wasted. Chevalier almost feels like there is more there, but to go with time limits had to be cut.
-It's not the worst use of characters I've seen, but it also isn't the best, with so much more needed to help maximize the character use.
More Music Needed For Big Numbers -You heard it right, more musical numbers are needed given the other piece of this movie.
-Chevalier may use the music well, but it didn't perfect it for me and took the half-used route I get frustrated with studios doing.
-A wonderful opening number felt complete, but Acts 2 and 3 are about building a piece to which we barely see snippets of because of the other plot point.
-I'd have liked a little more focus on this and time to it and given us a strong middle number to show the majesty of the work.
-Then the final act needed a number as well, something to go out strong on, but alas feels like they shortened it too for the sake of the movie, giving us a powerful glimpse.
The VERDICT: Chevalier is certainly a movie with gusto, poise, class, and feel that is worthy of the Toronto Film Festival awards it received. To me it feels like an extended history book chapter, giving you the highlights, to fit into a roughly two classroom timeline. Smart performers and writing, visual feel that immerses you and music to show off, these aspects are good for fleeting attention spans. However, the movie almost needed two movies or a series to properly give you everything Chevalier could have been and not lose the pacing the first two acts set up for me. That strong opening, with the trailers, promised something deeper, and sadly it didn't all come through for me to fully warrant a higher mark. Still, totally worth a visit for historian buffs, or classical movie lovers, with classrooms doing the best to show this piece to their charges. I give the movie:
Biography/Drama/History: 7.5 Movie Overall: 7.0.