Le hussard sur le toit

Le Hussard sur le Toit presents its audience with the grim reality of cholera-stricken rural France in 1832 and its effect on a journey of escape by two anxious visitors. The frequent images of corpses and mass burial are refreshed by the breathtaking and beautifully shot scenery, itself brought to life by characters who dilute the presence of death with an oxymoronic mix of comedy and despair. Carrion crows regularly appear, mercilessly flying around in sinister anticipation, their cawing beaks wide open with hunger.

Juliette Binoche enters only in the second half, her laconic period style beautifully portrayed, and preparing the way for her appearance as George Sand in Les Enfants du Siecle (1999). Le Hussard's plot is simple, its screenplay uncomplicated. But the action is fast and Bond-like and the innocence of Martinez' military-dominated character is uncanny. But it is its simplicity that makes this movie a work of exceptional visual satisfaction, for romantics or action-lovers alike.

Juliette Binoche and Olivier Martinez look great, and they throw themselves enthusiastically into their roles. They do have a certain chemistry together, but the film devotes much more attention to the effects of the French cholera epidemic in 1832 on the countryside. The plot that kicks off the story rather dramatically is that of the assassination plots against Italian nationalists by Austrians who'd like to take over northern Italy. The end of the movie, however, reveals the true focus of the story. I wish that the majority of the movie was devoted to that story.

This is a 19th century story that is strongly reminiscent of a "knight in shining armor" story of long, long ago. The handsome hero is both committed to his cause of freeing Italy from Austrian rule AND protecting his lady from all harm--even when she stupidly blunders into it on a couple occasions. From start to finish, this is an excellent historical "chick flick" and is likely to excite the passions of many female viewers, but I am a guy (at least the last time I checked) and I STILL enjoyed it. The acting was excellent and the cinematography outstanding. About the only minor problem with the film was the occasional stupid behaviors by the female lead (Binoche). A couple times, she just seemed too stupid to live--but, of course, the handsome hero came to her rescue.

An excellent film, but a little disturbing due to its graphic depiction of plague victims. Plus, with a little nudity towards the end of the film (it was explicit but not gratuitous), this is NOT a film for the kids.

The Horseman on the Roof has to be one of the most beautiful looking films I've ever seen, which is odd for a movie about a cholera epidemic.

Set in a beautiful summer in the mid-19th century, it follows Olivier Martinez's Italian in exile as he is chased across France by Austrian agents intent on killing as many Italian rebels as they can only for his pursuers to be outrun by a cholera epidemic that picks off friends and foes. Along the way his path crosses with various victims and survivors - a doctor who teaches him a neat disinfecting trick of setting your hands on fire, a cute governess, Jean Yanne's duplicitous peddler, Gerard Depardieu's paranoid mayor, and most importantly Juliette Binoche, who is determined to find her husband. Naturally they become travelling companions as they try to get through roadblocks and avoid being put into quarantine by the soldiers cordoning off the roads - a virtual death sentence - and eventually nearly become more. The film looks so good in cinemascope and so much of it is terrific than you can just about forgive the fact that the ending is a bit of a washout after everything that's gone before.

A really enjoyable old-fashioned epic, I'd definitely pick this up if it ever turned up on DVD uncut with English subtitles (the Miramax disc is typically cut by 17 minutes thanks to Harvey Scissorhands).

This gorgeous movie was set in the cholera stricken period which wiped out the whole of Europe in 10 days. Juliette Binoche, in her pre-The English Patient role, was as gorgeous and subtle as ever. The thing about this movie though that it's billed as a romance but you don't see it anywhere but just hints of it and feel the sexual tensions between the 2 main characters. Rather disappointing for some but it's that exact same formula which makes it such a beautiful movie to watch. To top it off, it was filmed in the French countryside which is so breathtaking that you could just watch the movie for the cinematography alone. All in all, it's a superb movie in the tradition of finely crafted French costume dramas.