Marquise - Gefährliche Intrige

I wasn't interested in the story, mainly because I didn't see the point. Sophie Marceau is the only bright sight in the movie.

......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.

La Marquise (Sophie Marceau), an French actress of the 17th century, is another attempt to make a French movie about the times of Louis XIV. The period is well depicted and the Court of the King is brought into images as it must have been at that time I imagine. Special is the scene where King Louis XIV (Thierry Lhermitte) goes publicly into the fountains of Versailles - the first and only time that he took a bath - and he is accompanied after some hesitation by La Marquise. We see also the struggles around the throne with Molière (Bernard Giraudeau) and Racine (Lambert Wilson) who have La Marquise as there mistress, and the architect of the gardens Le Nôtre and the composer Lully (Remo Girone). King Louis is in this movie a young patron of the arts who encourages Molière while writing "Tartuffe" or Racine writing "Andromaque".

Full of "cultural one-liners" like this, probably more common back then, in those times rules by language, than nowadays', this film is both for history and luxury buff as for those interested in social and class distinctions, the poor role of artists in the royal court, etc.

"Mharek" from Montréal writes: "one of the rare history movie that isn't done from a celebrity point of view".

This film is obviously a feast for Sophie Marceau lovers. We learn she dances quite well, for instance. Female director Véra Belmont drools on her figure as much as on royalty's excesses. As the Brazilian reviewers aptly puts it: "Sophie shines in all takes". But unlike later films starred by her like "L'âge de raison", in this film the plot is good, photography and music are superb, so you get carried away by the action, not just her looks.

Of course a stellar cast helps: the superb Bernard Giraudeau, a likable Patrick Timsit, a royally hateable Thierry Lhermitte, heartthrob Lambert Wilson, beautiful Marianne Basler and Polish rising star "Estelle Skornik".

Jordi Savalls performs the best period piece you could imagine. You get to see Versailles and Vaux-le-Vicomte in a new light, not as easy at it seems. There are some moving & emotional scenes, it's not only a "postcard movie" technically speaking.

As the NZ IMMB reviewer writes: "no one can make them like the French....". Showing both the grandeur and decadence, as the scholarly reviewer "dbdumonteil" writes on this site. side by side, as in real life, the French know what they're talking about when they do films about kings.

My favourite scenes have to do with water: the "public bath" of the Sun King and Marquise, and her dancing while it starts to rain in the beginning, shot like a TV publicity but effective.

Maybe a tad too long, and the ending may disappoint, but absolutely worthy watching!

PS: Some reviewers and plot summaries on this site do suggest the ending, so, dear reader, you're friendly warned :) .

The film is a very good story I like the cast, principally Bernard Giraudeau, Patrick Timsit, Thierry Lhermitte and the muse Sophie Marceau who in that time was the most beautiful actress of the cinema of all universe!! It is my opinion about her. Sophie shines in all takes, every angle and in each glance. She gets reach her apex when she is dancing... Marceau is the star of the movie but the writers are good, they were precise with the scenery, wrote interesting dialogs and could figure on a good cast. Direction well-made by Vera Belmont. I just thing about the end of the film was not so good, they would get more tension in the last scene, my impression it was made on the run...But anyway, I like very much this film!