Voltaire

France, 1762. Only one man dares to defy King Louis XV. Only one voice is raised against the bloodthirsty, corrupt Court. Only one pen can give utterance to the cry of the downtrodden masses. Crafty. Sly. Wily as any fox. Philosopher. Pamphleteer. Playwright. Poet. Essayist. Storyteller. Historian. Mocker. Wit. The first prophet of the Revolution. VOLTAIRE.

George Arliss, the greatest Hollywood actor of the early 1930's, and the most forgotten, gives another fascinating living history lesson in the title role. Full of fidgets, blinks & mutters, he makes his subject come alive as no book ever could. A consummate performer, Arliss achieved more with the lift of a finger or the curve of the lip, than other actors could with their entire body. He is a joy to watch.

A fine cast gives good support. Doris Kenyon is beautiful as the conniving Madame de Pompadour; Alan Mowbray is very good as a nasty courtier; Reginald Owen has a jolly time as vain, foolish Louis, a role he would reprise in 1934's MADAME DUBARRY. Doris Lloyd has a small part as an actress friend of Voltaire.

Warner Brothers obviously spent lavishly on this picture and it shows in the production. The sets & costumes are impeccable. Notice in particular the fun Arliss has with his wigs.

Now a brief historical reality check. The man who would later assume the name Voltaire was born François-Marie Arouet in 1694. By the time of the movie, he had already been imprisoned in the Bastille twice, and spent years in exile in England, Lorraine and Prussia. In 1762, Voltaire was not living in Paris, but in the French village of Ferney, located on the Swiss border, over which he could flee if need be. He lived there the last 20 years of his life. He died in 1778, at the age of 83.

"France - in the year 1762 - with its sumptuous and lavish court - was in a corrupt and bankrupt state. One man dared to speak out for the rights of an oppressed people. With a pen that dripped venom, he attacked intolerance and injustice. He educated the masses to think and act. This was the forerunner of the French Revolution, that gave the world the present Great Republic of France. This man - a hundred years ahead of his time - was Voltaire, the great mocker, the great wit, the great humanitarian of the 18th century," gives us a fine description of setting. The opening coach passing peasants on the street is a defining visual...

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

"Voltaire" is set in Paris in 1762, as an aged Voltaire rallies the people and warns King Louis XV that the excesses of the French nobility will lead to revolution. This story provides another historical fiction vehicle for Arliss to serve as a great interpreter of historical figures.

George Arliss once again shows his talents in the lead role as Voltaire. He develops the character well through his careful mannerisms, dialogue and appearance. I enjoyed the supporting performances as well, especially Reginald Owen as the leisurely but proud King Louis XV.

The story is a decent one, and it is interesting to see the ways Voltaire manipulates his surroundings to his benefit. There is also a lot of well-placed humor in the film and great irony, particularly when Louis XV decries the traits which he possesses. Overall this film is worth seeing, in particular for another notable performance from George Arliss.

If you are looking for a biography of Voltaire, I suggest you look further for many reasons. First, his philosophies really aren't explained well in this film other than his views on religious tolerance and liberty. Second, it only covers a tiny portion of his later life during the last years of the reign on Louis XV. And, third, the film really isn't intended as a history lesson but, like so many biopics of the era, strays rather far from the facts. Still, George Arliss was a fine actor, and I'd recommend any film in which he appears.

The story is about a tiny portion of Voltaire's life--when he takes up the cause of a specific man who was convicted on scant evidence and who was simply the victim of religious bigotry. And, the film consists of Voltaire scheming, very cleverly, to influence the fat-headed king to intervene and overturn the verdict. First, he writes a play which parodies the situation--changing the facts a bit but making the point which Voltaire wishes to put across to the king. Second, he enlists the help of the king's #1 babe, Madame Pompadour to get the king to offer Voltaire a chance to put on the play at Versailles. But, things backfire--can the wily Voltaire manage to extricate himself? I must let you know that I am generally not a big fan of costume dramas--mostly because they often come off as a bit stilted and stodgy. This one isn't as bad as many but it all the fine costumes and language did seem, at times, a bit stiff. Not bad at all--but it also seemed a bit preachy and unreal--especially Voltaire's crazed speech at 71 minutes into the film. Plus, the film jumped from the early 1760s to 1789 almost instantly--making it look as if Voltaire DIRECTLY initiated the French Revolution!!

By the way, I am not sure if the film would have been made after mid-1934, as the new Production Code cleaned up films--removing anything that might be objectionable. In some ways, this was strongly needed (as ANYTHING seemed to go in films in the early 30s). But, in others it over-sanitized things--and biopics on men of such liberal views on the Church and conventional morality as Voltaire were difficult sells in the new 'cleaner' (at least on the surface) Hollywood.

The wigs in this film are an excellent example of "period" hairstyling, with a 1920s/1930s twist.

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.