Joseph Bologne, known by his title the Chevalier de Saint-Georges, was an interesting minor musical figure (and more) in late 18th-century France. American Founding Father John Adams described him as "the most accomplished man in Europe in Riding, Running, Shooting, Fencing, Dancing, Musick." Such a colorful character deserves a fine, exciting biographical film. He does not get it here. For the most part, CHEVALIER is anachronistic and uses St. Georges as an excuse to project the usual faddish sociopolitical cliches. Many details of the movie are pure fiction (St. Georges' infant son was not murdered) and in many cases decidedly ahistorical. The fact is that most of us don't know much about racial attitudes in France at this time, but the filmmakers take the liberty of reducing most of the white Parisians to racist caricatures; St. Georges himself is degraded by the end of the film to a sad, pathetic punching bag. The film feels unfinished, as if the screenwriter just decided to throw in the towel at the crucial moment of St Georges' career.
If CHEVALIER was intended to be of interest to the classical music community, it failed miserably on this count too. The filmmakers appear to have no serious engagement with classical music or culture generally. St. Georges own music is not central to the film, indeed is barely heard. What little period music we hear is performed with some degree of authenticity, but it amounts to no more than a few short soundbites. At the climactic scene in the theater, St. Georges strikes up the orchestra and they play not anything 18th-century but some kind of postmodern movie music. The filmmakers are not interested in St Georges as an artist. Only his social status and racial identity interest them.
I am seeing a pattern in historical films these days where writers take an obscure subject, compile some basic research, then embellish the material beyond recognition, superimposing postmodern lingo and sensibilities. Such distortions of history do real harm in an era when few people take the trouble to read historical literature (i.e., firsthand sources) to learn about the past, instead relying on simplistic cliches and pat generalizations from movies and TV.
If CHEVALIER was intended to be of interest to the classical music community, it failed miserably on this count too. The filmmakers appear to have no serious engagement with classical music or culture generally. St. Georges own music is not central to the film, indeed is barely heard. What little period music we hear is performed with some degree of authenticity, but it amounts to no more than a few short soundbites. At the climactic scene in the theater, St. Georges strikes up the orchestra and they play not anything 18th-century but some kind of postmodern movie music. The filmmakers are not interested in St Georges as an artist. Only his social status and racial identity interest them.
I am seeing a pattern in historical films these days where writers take an obscure subject, compile some basic research, then embellish the material beyond recognition, superimposing postmodern lingo and sensibilities. Such distortions of history do real harm in an era when few people take the trouble to read historical literature (i.e., firsthand sources) to learn about the past, instead relying on simplistic cliches and pat generalizations from movies and TV.