Marguerite

"Marguerite" (2015 release from France; 128 min.) brings the story, "inspired by true events" we are reminded at the beginning of the film, of socialite Marguerite Dumont. As the movie opens, it is "September, 1920", and we are at a private recital, with a goal of raising funds for the was orphans. When Marguerite, who headlines and generously sponsors the program at the same time, finally comes on, she sings.... completely off-key. Yet people clap and adore her. Why? To tell you more would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the latest movie from French quality director Xavier Giannoli who previously brought us other high quality films like "When I Was A Singer" and "In the Beginning". Here he tackles a variation of "the emperor has no clothes" story. It is clear to anyone that Marguerite cannot hold a note, yes she gathers acclaim, be it because people think she is brave enough to do it, and/or because she is delusional, and/or because people want to remain in her good graces. When, in preparation for her first bi-scale public concert, her exasperated music teacher comments to Marguerite's husband "Who will throw the first stone?", that becomes the main point of the movie: will Marguerite be told the stone-cold truth or not? Catherine Frot brings a towering performance as Marguerite, and in fact won the French equivalent of the Best Actress Oscar for this (the movie was nominated for a BUNCH of Cezar Awards, including Best Film and Best Director). My only complaint is that at 2 hr. 10 min. the movie is a bit too long for its own good. I think that trimming 15-20 min. would've made for a tighter movie without losing any of the narrative. The "inspired by true events" line at the beginning in fact refers to New York socialite Florence Foster Jenkins, and coincidence or not, a movie about her, starring none other than Meryl Streep in the title role, is set for a release in US theaters in just a few months (August, I believe). I'll be interested in checking out that one too, to see how it compares with this.

"Marguerite" opened this weekend at my local art-house theater here in Cincinnati. The Saturday early evening screening where I saw this at was attended quite nicely, somewhat to my surprise. Maybe the fact that the Meryl Streep movie is coming out soon (and is already gathering buzz for Streep's supposedly stunning performance) has increased the interest in seeing the French movie version. Regardless, if you like classical music (of which there is a TON in the movie) and are up for a top-notch foreign movie with great performances, you cannot go wrong with this. "Marguerite" is HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!

The comedy of manners is the weapon of choice for satirising the wealthy and powerful. Its favourite target is vanity, like in the fairy tale Emperor's New Clothes where a vain ruler is fooled into believing that beautiful garments have been made for him only to display his pompous nakedness for all to see. The narrative of Marguerite (2015) is framed around this theme, except that instead of clothes the hapless victim is encouraged to believe she has a beautiful voice. In her case, the self-deception is less about vanity and more about her love of singing and the inability to hear her own voice.

Marguerite is loosely based on the true story of American socialite Florence Foster Jenkins. This sumptuous art-house style French production portrays her as a wealthy and eccentric benefactor of the arts in 1920s Paris. She is easily manipulated by the flattery of others and obsessive about opera singing. She also loves her unfaithful and financially dependent husband who is incapable of telling her the truth about her voice and who always has an excuse for missing her recitals. Her friends and house staff protect her from the knowledge of how badly she sings in gratitude for her kindness and because she is a 'lovely lady'. The stakes are raised when Marguerite decides on a public recital where of course the audience cannot be stacked with grateful patrons. The resulting performance is a seat-squirming experience that fills both the on-screen theatre and your own cinema with painful laughter and vicarious embarrassment for someone who can be so cruel to music. The film itself becomes an operatic performance of pride's folly.

This could have been an unbearable story made worse by intolerable singing, but it works well as a comically sad tale about a gullible woman who wants desperately to believe she can create beauty with her voice. The filming, sets and costumes evoke the era with authenticity and French actress Catherine Frot's subtle performance balances the sublime with the ridiculous. Frot's wide-eyed trust in others is both endearing and engaging as she draws us into her make-believe world that borders on madness. Some truly beautiful operatic voices create a haunting background score that only accentuates the appalling noise that comes from Marguerite's voice box. Its an entertaining story but don't be surprised if you catch yourself asking "what is so funny about bad singing?" and feeling embarrassed for laughing at another person's delusions.

'Marguerite' was for me the most anticipated inclusion of the French Film Festival touring Australia as I write this review. In part due to the pithy and alluring plot line given in the booklet for the screenings, and in part as Catherine Frot was freshly known to me since seeing 'Haute Cusine' a couple of years back. I was really impressed with the subtle but powerful presence of Ms Frot on screen. I've become most enamored with the many wonderful actresses from France and this film and performance has already put Catherine Frot into an award winning position; confirming her long and distinguished career.

Rather than give away too much of the plot; i'd would prefer to sing the praises of the panoply of elements that make this movie so memorable and commendable. It is beautifully staged and executed, with a faithful commitment to the period and a skillfully cast ensemble of actors to back the leading lady. I was especially impressed with Congolese actor Denis Mpunga who lends such a solid and fascinating literal support as Marguerite's butler. Michel Fau steals every scene he is in as an overly hammy opera singer; and Andre Marcon manages to both represent and challenge the archetype of a philandering husband.

While the film does run long; a shade over 2 hours; for the most part it is compelling, intriguing, amusing, sad and thought provoking. How many movies can be described that way? There were moments where I was both laughing and crying; a result of powerful direction by Xavier Giannoli who also co-wrote the film, and of course the impeccable performance from Catherine Frot. There is enormous dignity that the actress conveys as well as a hapless and at times a quiet knowing which is hugely endearing and makes Marguerite neither a victim nor a focus for ridicule. La Frot has such cinematic presence and yet at times there is great stillness to the performance; and of course there is the full bodied musical pieces that anchor the film's structure and themes.

There is a majesty to the film cinematically; and despite a couple of plot strands hastily thrown in and not satisfyingly completed, there is a potency and cogency to the script and to the film's overall running time. I feel it will be one of my favorites of 2016.

This comedy of manners was masterfully done. For a story about a woman who was an atrocious singer but didn't know it and performed publicly, it was delightfully light-handed. Catherine Frot was exceptional as Marguerite. She didn't portray the character as a silly, narcissistic woman as I'd feared but expected. She was portrayed as a passionate, thoughtful, lonely and yet vibrant woman who was just blissfully unaware of her lack of talent. Yes she was a terrible singer and we all laughed when she performed, but it was done with such feeling toward Marguerite that it never felt that I was being asked to laugh at her but rather the situation.

I fell in love with all of the characters, even those who used Marguerite and those that tried to swindle her – they were just so well written and full of life. And you can't help but love those who supported and stood by her.

The ending was also surprisingly heart-wrenching, but fitting and sadly satisfying.

Biographical films can be really good and intriguing when done well, and there are a number of great ones out there as well as a few disappointing ones.

There are better biopics overall than 'Marguerite', and there is a preference for 2016's 'Florence Foster Jenkins', also about a notoriously bad singer and one of my personal favourites of 2016. However, it is very much a winner with many fantastic things.

'Marguerite' does fall too much in mawkish and slightly heavy-handed melodrama in the final act, and the aspiring young singer subplot doesn't slot into place as much as it should. Same with a few of the characters, some more interesting and serving more purpose to the story than others.

However, 'Marguerite's' pros far outweigh the cons, and when the film is at its best it's very good indeed and often even better than that. It's lovingly filmed and lavishly staged with gorgeous settings, scenery, colours and costumes that capture the era brilliantly and evocatively. The music is magnificent even when it's butchered.

Xavier Giannoli clearly put a lot of thought into the direction and handles the themes and any tone shifts and the numerous sub-plots often very well indeed, succeeding in keeping the story compelling and not feeling cluttered or too stretched. The script is intelligent with an ideal balance of humour and pathos, the humour very funny and the pathos heart-rending.

Like with 'Florence Foster Jenkins', it is easy making this sort of character interesting or easy to sympathise with and oddly wanting them to succeed. 'Marguerite' actually does a great job with that. This is also largely down to the lead performance of Catherine Frot, which is truly superb and captivates the viewer throughout the length. The rest of the performances are also very impressive, but it's Frot who lives in the memory the most.

On the whole, lavish, intelligent and absorbing, Frot and the production values particularly coming off well. With a stronger final act and more consistently with a couple of the sub-plots and the characters it could have been a wonderful film instead of an overall very good one. 8/10 Bethany Cox